


What The Soul Remembers

by Ichimuune



Category: Farscape
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-02-09 09:07:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1977102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ichimuune/pseuds/Ichimuune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Resurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.<br/>Timeframe: Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sacrifices and Secrets

**Title: What The Soul Remembers**

  
**Timeframe:** Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.

  
**Story Summary:** Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Ressurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.

  
**Chapter Summary:** Talyn ejects Crais at the last second, saving his captain. During the Leviathan funeral, we find out what it was that Stark found out in "Meltdown".  
  
 **Notes:**  I took a little bit of liberty with some Leviathan biological information, as little is known about it. Not gonna spoil it here, please read! :D

**Chapter One: Sacrifices and Secrets**

* * *

  
Talyn slowly came to, surprised at being reawakened still the same as he was. However, he sensed something was wrong. Very wrong. He felt Crais's presence and groggily questioned quietly through a series of soft beeps and hums. Crais stepped forward, shining his flashlight around slowly.

  
_~Crais...?~_

  
"Yes, Talyn...I'm here." Crais said shakily, kneeling down in the center of Talyn's command center. He sighed a moment, and spoke again. "No need to be afraid."

  
The lights were slowly beginning to brighten as Talyn woke more, slowly powering up, as if afraid to come back to life. Somehow, though, the sound of Crais's voice in this moment was both comforting...and sad.

  
"Talyn. The...firing mechanism on your cannon...was taken from you...by the Peacekeepers." Crais spoke slowly, carefully and calmly, though his emotions betrayed the slight fear, resignation and a sense of duty...a final duty. Talyn responded softly, a low pulsing hum that changed tone, as if displaying displeasure and sadness at having his cannon disabled. But what Crais said next made Talyn worried.

  
"The rest..." Crais looked around a bit, taking in the beautiful metallic reds of Talyn's Leviathan heritige that surrounded the room. The Leviathan part of him was natural, organic and simply beautiful. The Peacekeeper technology, while it made Talyn who he was, began as of late to seem more foreign. Talyn's problems arose from many issues, some of which being young, being of a peaceful Leviathan heritige, but being mixed with the controlling, relentless, deceiving and forceful nature of the Peacekeepers. Being bonded with Talyn in his own process of trying to step away from being a Peacekeeper only confused Talyn and made him paranoid. But what was done was done. Now was not the time to reflect on that. Crais sighed again, finishing his words. "The rest...have been taken...And Moya...Moya will soon be enslaved." He paused, hearing a distressed sound coming from the walls of his ship. He knew Talyn would do anything to save his mother. Still, it didn't make this suggestion any easier.

  
"Unless...we do something. Something radical." He was scared to continue telling this part. He didn't want to kill himself...or Talyn. "You...and I...Together."

  
Talyn seemed to consider this for a moment. He remembered the moment when he placed his trust in Crais, offering the Hand of Friendship. Even though they had been through a lot together since then; mistrust, fear, worry, confusion, panic...somehow Crais managed to calm him in the end, either with himself or by having Aeryn talk to him. Many times it was Aeryn who calmed him. She reminded him of his mother.

  
Crais smiled sadly when Talyn responded with another series of blips and noises, each varying in pitch and tone.

  
_~What is it you have in mind?~_ Talyn asked, the mental voice that rang through Crais's mind laced with a bit of worry at the feelings he sensed from Crais. Crais swallowed, looking upwards towards the circle of lights above him.

  
"The Command Carrier...it needs to be destroyed to cease the work on the Wormhole Project, thus saving the others and Moya in the process."

  
Another pause, then more squeaks, blips and hums.

  
_~But my cannons are disabled.~_

  
This would be the hard part. Explaining to Talyn the plan that would ultimately take their lives.

  
"And therein, Talyn, lies our problem...and salvation." He reached down, placing a comforting hand on the floor lights. "A Starburst, Talyn."

  
There was silence. Crais could feel Talyn panicking again, and Crais reached out to his side, touching one of the Peacekeeper-styled support pylons that surrounded the command center. Talyn felt strength and comfort flowing through not only the touch, but in Crais's emotions. He calmed down a bit, but was still fearful. He replied with a rapid succession of noises, the tones relaying his fear very clearly. One would not need a transponder to sense what the gunship felt.

  
_~But...there's nowhere to go...we'll be...I don't want to die...~_

  
Crais reached through the neural link with his emotions, comforting the young ship.

  
"I know, my dear Talyn. Neither do I. But all of this...it must end. We are their only hope. Moya's only hope at this point. She sits outside surrounded by Peacekeeper ships, waiting for the word to disable her and put a control collar back on her." He sighed softly, listening to Talyn's reply. It was another series of hasty, worried blips, but the voice of a scared child in his mind.

  
_~I want Mother free...I don't want her captured again. She told me what it was like...no freedom, unable to Starburst, forced to serve...a slave. Peacekeepers...are not peaceful. This I have learned.~_ Talyn relayed, afraid. No longer for himself, but for his mother and the friends that were her residents, her crew...her family. Crais smiled softly again, realizing in that instant that he had, in fact, raised Talyn very well.

  
"You know I will never force you to do this, Talyn. The choice is yours." He paused a moment, and opened his mind completely to Talyn. "For so long I have been telling you that you must listen to me, you must obey me, and in that I have failed you. The Peacekeeper ways in me are still too far ingrained in me, and while I wanted to help, I only tried to control. I am so sorry, Talyn..." Crais explained, suddenly feeling a welling of emotion flowing through him. His apology was not only to his mentioned failure, but to the deeper, darker secret that he and Talyn shared that Stark found out about. His eyes watered, a few drops dripping to the slowly pulsing lights on the floor. Talyn felt his regret and sadness and cried out softly, the sound echoing through his corridors and reverberating gently through his command center where Crais was knelt down. If he were humanoid like Crais, Talyn would have hugged him in an attempt to comfort. Instead the feelings of forgiveness would have to suffice. Crais sniffed and wiped his eyes dry, looking up and smiling softly as Talyn spoke to him, a more gentle series of noises surrounding the man.

  
_~You are not at fault. We were both finding our way. We were both scared. I am...proud...to have you as my captain.~_ Talyn offered, in effect forgiving Crais.

  
Crais stood, staring out at the screen in front of him. "And I, Talyn...was proud and honored to be your captain."

  
_~I want to do this. Do something for the lives on the medical ship...~_ Talyn said suddenly, his voice trailing away as he remembered the needless destruction of life that was caused by his own fear and paranoia at being caught and made into a slave.

  
"Then we shall do it. Are you ready, Talyn?" Crais asked, mentally reaching out, tentatively feeling the soul of his ship. He hoped Talyn would respond in kind. He had done this twice before, and the first time was shortly after he had connected with Talyn with the neural transponder. It was a far deeper level of connection that Crais had actually stumbled across, and the result left them both in shock and unconscious. Their souls were, since then, completely intertwined. Briefly Crais remembered the Siren Sun...when Stark had bonded with Talyn via the Pilot's Den temporarily. Stark had seen and felt the time of the initial soul connection as it was the most prominent; this was the secret that Crais had threatened Stark's life to keep silent.

  
Talyn reached back, and Crais closed his eyes in comforted relief, swaying slightly as he felt their soul connection go deeper than he had felt before. Crais mentally grasped at that, not wanting to let go. Not during this time. It was a comfort to both of them, knowing what was going to happen.

  
"Talyn, open a comm to the Command Carrier. Crichton is back with Scorpius. I have a few...words to say before we do this."

  
Talyn complied, a quick series of beeps indicating that the comm link was now wide open. Crais stood tall, his hands shifting and clasping in front of him as he began to speak.

  
"Scorpius. I am just making my final...goodbyes." He said, his voice filled with both satisfaction and slight regret.

  
"Where are you, Crais?" Came Scorpius' voice over the comm, apprehensive about what Crais was talking about. Crais clenched his teeth, wishing he had his hands around the bastard's neck. He felt the familiar comfort of Talyn's soul next to his, causing him to calm as he replied.

  
"I am standing in your heart...and I am about to squeeze." he growled out, feeling anticipation and adrenaline rushing through him. He heard Scorpius call for Braca to find the source of Crais's transmission and arrest Crais.

  
"Its coming from the Hybrid, in the...gamma hangar in level twelve."

  
Crais chuckled softly to himself. It didn't matter anymore. Talyn was already beginning to power up. And apparently Braca realized that.

  
"The...hybrid's powering up..." he said, slightly surprised.

  
"You are the most repellent of creatures, Scorpius," Crais interjected, continuing his little speech. These were the words he had longed to say for so long, and finally he had the nerve to say it. Frell did it feel good to do so. "You weren't born into Peacekeepers. You weren't...conscripted...against your will. You -chose- to be one."

  
"I want the bay doors sealed. All prowlers scrambled." Scorpius said over the comms, interrupting Crais. "That hybrid must NOT get away!"

  
"The hybrid is building to maximum power INSIDE the hangar," Braca stated, his sensors lighting up more and more as Talyn mustered more of his strength. "I don't think he's planning to escape..."

  
During this time, while Crais was busy with his send-off to Scorpius, Talyn very quietly put barriers into place and unlocked clamps around the command center. Even though their souls were intertwined at this moment, he still managed to keep this one thing from Crais. If he knew...no, Talyn couldn't allow that. Crais's voice continued over the comms.

  
"The last time I left this ship -MY ship- I did so under a veil of secrecy. YOU forced that situation. YOU took away MY command. You STOLE my life from me!" Crais snarled out, glaring at the viewscreen in the command center. Crais took a breath for a moment, raising his hands to the level of his waist, guesturing slightly with them as he spoke again.

  
"Well, this time Scorpius...I'm not leaving quietly." He finished, his voice dropping to a quiet, calm and deadly demeanor. Crais's voice had the correct effect on Scorpius. Fear was instilled in the half Scarren, half Sebacean.

  
"Somebody FIND that fool, and get him out of that ship!"

  
It was already too late. Talyn reached full power and employed his thrusters, lifting up. He shifted his Starburst igniters as the tips began to glow near his back end, letting them nearly touch with the Starburst Generator. He was ready. If this saved everyone he cared for, he was ready. But timing..timing HAD to be perfect.

  
"SOMEBODY GET THAT TRAITOR OFF THAT SHIP!" Scorpius yelled, finding himself staring at Crichton through the glass of the hangar bay where he had come back from the wormhole expedition. Crichton looked at him with a frighteningly deadpan stare.

  
"I suggest you hang onto something." warned Crichton. His voice displayed no joke, no snarkiness...just pure, dark seriousness. Scorpius realized in that instant what was going to happen. He felt the rumbling as Talyn began to redirect power to the tips of the Starburst igniters and Generator. His face filled with fear as he turned around.

  
"Talyn." Crais spoke with a softness, a kindness, and a finality. Talyn responded, a gentle chorus of sounds and blips eminating from all around.

  
_~...I'm ready.~_

  
There was a moment of hesitation as Crais buried his soul with Talyn, afraid to let go. But he knew it had to be done. He felt his heart breaking as he spoke the final command he would ever speak to his ship...a ship that had become more than just a ship. A friend, a home, a companion. His heart hurt horribly.

  
"...Starburst."

  
Talyn complied, feeling the pain through their close connection. He was consumed by a brief moment of his own panic as he released the energy, sparks flying between the igniters and the Generator. It was Crais's presence that calmed Talyn enough to go through this and keep his mind clear enough for what he had to do. The power surged through him like lightning through a metal rod. Because of his smaller size, Starburst took only mere microts whereas with his mother it took a bit longer. Talyn would only have less than a microt to deploy his final act.

  
As the final wave of power rushed across his hull, he opened a hatch beneath the command center and released the final clamps. The floor shook beneath Crais, causing him to lose balance. He noticed the vid screen go black and a sudden jolt that made his stomach fly to Talyn's ceiling caused a considerable amount of alarm within Crais. He fell to the ground, smacking his head against a console, causing a deep gash in his head. Blood instantly dripped, coloring the now-detached command center's floor with a deep red. Crais pressed a hand to his head, feeling sick to his stomach. Deep down, he knew exactly what Talyn was doing.

  
"Talyn! What are you doing!? What have you done!?"

  
The vid screen came back on and Crais realized he was staring at the amazing gold glow from underneath Talyn as his Starburst ripped a hole in space in front of the gunship. The view confirmed what he felt from Talyn in that instant. He was sinking...towards the floor of the hangar bay while Talyn continued the Starburst.

  
"TALYN! NO!"

  
_~You have to live, Crais!~_ Talyn's voice surged through his heart, mind and soul. He felt a mix of sadness and relief wash over him from Talyn, but Crais screamed out in anger and hurt, feeling betrayed. It took only another half microt before Talyn burst through and crashed into the side of Command Carrier, ripping the gunship's form to shreds. Because their connection included their souls, Crais felt Talyn die. It hurt. Oh by god did it hurt more than anything he had ever felt. He curled up on the floor of Talyn's detatched command center, the pain causing him to go into convulsions as tears and blood stained the now-dark floor. He didn't care anymore if anyone found him. After a few moments, Crais blacked out from the pain. His mind and soul couldn't handle the sudden shock from the loss of Talyn.

 

* * *

  
Crais awoke several arns later in Moya's medbay, completely alone. He coughed and groaned, rolling over onto his side. His head had been patched up, but he had one hell of a headache. His once slicked-back and binded hair was messy, tendrils of gently curled hair framing his sweat-beaded face. The hairbind at the back of his head was loose, but still mainly intact. A few strands of hair poked out here and there. He looked like a mess. He wore a white, loose tanktop that served as an undershirt, his leather coat sitting some distance away in a chair. Stains of blood covered one side of the shirt, the result of his gash. He still wore his black pants and leather boots. He realized with a start that he was onboard Moya. The unmistakable browns, golds and rose golds of Moya's interior was almost haunting to him now. He instinctively reached to the back of his neck; the neural transponder was still there, but dead. It was purely silent. Pain overtook him again, but it wasn't physical. It felt like his heart was ripped from his chest and thrown in acid, then put back in and ripped out again. He curled up, tears threatening him as he struggled with the knowledge that Talyn had left him behind...had somehow managed to save him from the Starburst.

Talyn...Talyn was gone.

  
About twenty microns later Crais slowly wandered to Moya's command center, a grey blanket wrapped around him tightly. His eyes were red and puffy from the tears earlier. The powerful and controlled Bialar Crais had been reduced to an emotionally ripped apart man. He found Aeryn and Crichton there, and looked away from them, stepping up to one of Moya's consoles. He didn't do anything, just stared out at the vast expanse beyond the screen. A tiny gold nebula floated in the far off distance, slightly bigger than the stars that surrounded it. Crais didn't pay much mind to it; his mind was elsewhere.

  
"Crais?"

  
It was Aeryn. She had tentatively stood up and took a few steps towards him. She fiddled with one of her fingers as she hesitated to speak. To Aeryn, Crais looked absolutely horrible. He looked at her silently, waiting for her to continue.

  
"Talyn...Moya insisted on taking him to their sacred graveyard...We're headed there now." Aeryn said softly. She watched Crais for a moment, who was taking in the fact that Talyn was on board. He nearly turned and ran to the cargo bay, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to see what little remained of the beautiful gunship. Crais only nodded once, allowing Aeryn to pass. Crichton didn't say anything; he just seemed content to stare off into space. After a moment, Crais decided he needed to see Talyn one last time.

  
It was painful all over again. Talyn's remains had been carefully laid out on the floor of Moya's cargo hold. Aeryn, D'Argo, Jool and Chiana stood off to one side, their discussion falling quiet as Crais came in and began to wander the floor, tentatively reaching out and touching charred remains. He didn't fight the tears that fell, though he remained silent and kept what little composure he could in front of the others. The others just watched him, not even beginning to comprehend the amount of pain Crais was in. He walked up to Talyn's nose section...somehow that section was still intact, but badly damaged. He reached up, placing a hand on the charred hull. After a moment he collapsed to his knees, his hand slipping from the once beautiful red and black metal.

  
"Why, Talyn...? Why did you leave me behind? I swore to be with you until the end and you LEFT me!" Crais's voice rose suddenly at the end, startling the other occupants. They all looked at each other with sadness, each not wanting to say anything, but seeing the same thing in each other's eyes. Crais struggled to gain a grasp on his emotions and pain, and let out a staggered sigh. He was angry at Talyn for leaving him alone, leaving him behind to deal with this indescribable pain. Is this what it felt like to love someone? To need someone? To feel painfully empty when they were no longer there? He knew he cared for Talyn and would have done anything to protect him but he wasn't prepared for this level of pain.

  
"We have entered the Leviathan Sacred Burial Grounds. Everyone is requested in Command." Pilot's solemn voice came over the comms. Crais looked up, his eyes resting on the red and black hull of his beloved ship, Moya's son. _Her son.._.instantly a wave of guilt and remorse washed over him as he stood, following the others at a small distance behind as they went back up to Moya's command center.

  
When he entered the command center, he felt all eyes turn to him. Everyone knew he was in pain. It was not the result any of them expected, Talyn ejecting Crais to save him. He swallowed and stepped forward, between the others, pulling the blanket closer around him. Pilot's voice came over the comms as Crais clasped his hands in front of him, staring out at the golden expanse of dust just outside. In that dust, Leviathan remains sprinkled the screen, creating an aura of silence and reverence.  
"Moya...wishes to thank all of you for being here. It's a painful time for her, as I am sure it is for the rest of you..." Pilot's voice faded for a moment as a shudder ran through Moya's frame. She had opened her cargo bay and released Talyn's remains. She flew gently around to give the crew a view of what remained of her beloved offspring. Crais knew he would be expected to say something, but he had no idea what to say. Tears were flowing freely from the women's eyes, John and D'Argo were fighting it, and Rygel was descreetly wiping his eyes, pretending there was something in them. On the vidscreen, Pilot looked visibly pained as well.

  
It was Aeryn who spoke the first words.

  
"When I first saw Talyn after I boarded him, I couldn't help but be absolutely amazed at how beautiful he was," Aeryn said, wiping tears from her cheeks. "Even though he was part Peacekeeper technology, he was Moya's baby, and she had given birth to a beautiful baby." She sniffed, trying to fight back the tears. "Moya wanted me to talk to him...and it was a great honor to do so. I was the first to speak with him, to calm him...and it was the most amazing feeling in the world to do that. But there was another who received a greater honor than I." Aeryn said, glancing over at Crais. She didn't know if Crais was ready, so she paused, bit her lip, and continued.

  
"Talyn...had been scared of being caught by the Peacekeepers. He only wanted to be free. Today...he brought meaning to the word freedom. He fought for it. He died free." She paused a moment, turning to Crais a bit. "With Crais, he was free. He freed us...and his mother...from certain capture and eventual enslavement." Aeryn reached up and covered her mouth, the tears becoming too much as she turned to John and buried her face against his shoulder. Aeryn felt in-part like Talyn's mother, because of her being the first on board him, and being able to help calm and direct him as well as she had been able to. She cared for him like he was her own son.

  
"He was a free spirit..." Crais said quietly. He stared at the screen, fighting back the waves of tears that threatened to overtake him. He swallowed his pride, preparing to speak again.

  
It was a pure white mist that swirled around the room that caught them all off guard. The mist coalesed into a strange being that reminded John of an ancient Roman or Greek god, the same one that had nearly decommissioned Moya previously. No one knew about that instance, though, and as such, didn't know of this being.

  
"Do not despair, crew of Moya. Talyn...has been accepted to the Burial Grounds. He has honored the peaceful ways of the Leviathans with his last act. Here he will remain, and will remain safe." The being spoke, his words sounding light and gentle. Crais backed away and stared at the floor. The being noticed Crais and called to him.

  
"Bialar Crais. Captain and Soulbond to Talyn. Step forward." He said, raising a hand outward, beckoning the distraught captain forward. All the color drained from Crais's face and he swallowed nervously. Aeryn and the others stared at Crais like his head was on fire. Chiana glanced up at Aeryn with a curious look.

  
"Soulbond? What the frell is a Soulbond?" She asked, her voice quiet but squeaky. Aeryn shook her head in disbelief. Crais growled softly, clenching his teeth. He hadn't foreseen anyone knowing about this. No one was supposed to know.

  
"I don't know, Chiana...I have no idea what a Soulbond means in this case." Aeryn whispered back, watching Crais take a few tentative steps forward.

  
"Who are you? How-" Crais started, wanting to know who the frak this being was and how the frell he knew about the Soulbond with Talyn. The being held his hand up, silencing Crais.

  
"Moya...wishes to speak to you." the being said, raising his hands as a soft sound whispered through the command center. After a second, a voice sang through the walls, a female voice. The sound dropped Crais to his knees.

  
"Crais...you took...care...of Talyn. Thankyou." Moya spoke slowly, her voice sounding more like several layers of a female's voice, and in an almost singsong tone. Crais nearly crumpled to the floor at her words.

  
"No, Moya. I am sorry. Had I not stolen him from you, had I not needed to fill my own ambitions...he would be here now. We would never have gotten to this point." He said, his eyes filled with tears as he glanced up at the ceiling. He was truly sorry, anguish rushing through him. "I took him too early, Moya. For that...I-"

  
"Crais...do not fear...Talyn...was happy. Those were...his last words...to me..." There was a short pause, and the being in front of them nodded. Moya spoke again.

  
"A part...of my son's soul...resides in you, Crais. Talyn lives...in you..." she said softly. Aeryn covered her mouth again as tears began to fall once more. Chiana just stood there, wet lines gravitating down her face. Jool wiped her eyes while D'Argo and Crichton's eyes watered up. And for once, Rygel was silent. Even he knew when to be silent at a burial.

  
"You carry...my son with you...therefore you...are my son as well." Moya spoke, bestowing a tremendous gift upon Crais. It was Moya's way of forgiving Crais for taking him so early on in his life. He had protected him, saved him, took care of him, and did everything he could to make sure that Talyn was always out of the grasp of the Peacekeepers. Crais's eyes filled with tears as he looked around the room, as if trying to find an ethreal form of Moya somewhere.

  
"Moya, I...don't deserve..." He was at a loss for words. Moya interrupted one last time.

  
"Thankyou, Crais...thankyou...all of you...for protecting Talyn."

  
Moya's voice faded out as she lost the ability to communicate again, the last reminants of her given voice echoing softly through her frame, almost like a soft song. The being smiled gently and then extended a hand to the group.

  
"Moya is grateful to all of you. We Builders see how you fight to protect freedom and honor. You fight for the freedom and safety of the Leviathans. Your weapons are used to protect, and we are pleased with this outcome." There was a pause as the being looked around, a gentle smile forming on his face. "Moya will retain her ability to produce gunships, but only if they are male. Females will not retain weapons. And if she does produce a male again, he must be raised by all of you. Never allow one to enter the hands of evil, and teach them the ways of peace."

  
Everyone stared in shock at this, a soft rumble rolling through Moya's frame at the news. It made her happy knowing she would be able to continue to have young, even if any future male offspring would be gunships. She would love them unconditionally, just as she had Talyn.

  
"On Talyn's honor...I will never let anyone use any of Moya's children for mindless killing..." Crais spoke softly, lowering his head. His voice cracked twice as he struggled internally, his voice hoarse from the entire ordeal. He was still on his knees; he didn't feel like getting up just yet.

  
The being nodded in approval, then faded to a column of mist and drifted away, leaving Crais feeling even more exposed than before. He might as well have been completely naked in front of the entire Moya crew, scars and everything showing. Now everyone knew just how close he and Talyn were. Their secret was exposed. Chiana decided to ask him directly this time.

  
"So...what's a Soulbond?" She asked, tilting her head, her shoulders twitching as curiosity overtook the smaller grey woman. D'Argo growled at Chiana, feeling like now was a bad time. Crais waved his hand a bit, slowly standing up.

  
"No, D'Argo, it's alright." He sighed, his voice sounding resigned. What the frell, everyone knew about it now. Might as well explain it. Damn frelling being, giving away his and Talyn's secret like it wasn't a problem. He stood slowly, regaining what composure he had left. "Right after I joined with Talyn with the neural transponder, I was exploring the link, seeing how far I could go, how much control I had. I had no idea what a Soulbond was, much less that it would happen. I stumbled across it by accident, and it shocked both Talyn and myself like an electrical current. Ever since then...things have been different. It became basically a deeper form of communication than just the neural link. We can sense more, do more, be more." He paused, looking down. "Rather, we used to do those things..." He added quietly. He clenched his fists, not finishing the rest of the description. There was one other thing, and it was something that he believed contributed to the reason why Talyn became so aggressive. He glanced down, praying that no one knew anything about Soulbonding. Behind him, Pilot was staring at Crais through the viewscreen with his mouth and eyes wide open in pure and total shock. Aeryn noticed this.

  
"Pilot...? What's wrong?"

  
"Crais...? Soulbonded? To Talyn?" Pilot finally asked incredulously, trying to understand everything he was hearing. Crais, turned to look at Pilot in the viewer, his eyes silently pleading with Pilot to not say anything else. He had forgotten that Pilot had been there, and had heard the whole thing. "What is more disturbing is Moya knew about this...but said nothing!" Everyone in the room looked around in more shock. There was no sound from Moya at first. Then a soft humming noise enveloped them. Pilot shook his head. "Moya knew when Talyn asked questions about it. She says she was extremely upset, but knew that attempting to remove you, Crais, would only prove to slowly kill Talyn." Pilot finished, anger in his normally calm and cheerful voice. 

"I have never..." Pilot continued, shaking his head as if trying to wake himself from a nightmare. "Crais, do you realize what exactly you did to Talyn?" Pilot demanded of Crais, wondering if the man actually KNEW. Crais's face clouded over with fear, embarrassment and anger.

"Yes, Pilot, I KNOW what happened. It was NOT intentional!" He blurted out, his heart racing. Everyone behind him looked at each other, and then at Pilot's screen. Aeryn was the first to speak.

"Pilot, what-"

Crais whirled, pointing a finger at her, his blanket falling off of one shoulder. Fear showed plainly on his face.

  
"Do NOT ask that question." He stated, his voice dropping to the same dark tone that he had used on Scorpius just before he instructed Talyn to Starburst. Aeryn glared at Crais, shifting her stance slightly, as if saying, 'Bring it on, you got nothing left to lose.'

  
"Pilot. What exactly happens during a Soulbond?" She asked, slowly and purposefully, driving home each. and every. single. word of the question straight into Crais's being. She stared Crais right in the eyes, not backing down. She could see the anger rising in Crais, his face turning red and heated.

  
"A Soulbond...Once a Leviathan finds a mate, many times they will bond beyond neural connections that are normally created during mating...and create...a Soulbond," Pilot said, earning stares of disbelief at Crais. But Pilot wasn't finished. "A Soulbond...strips away a Leviathan's ability to find another mate...ever...even if one of them dies." Pilot tilted his head. "The Hand of Friendship that Talyn gave to Crais must have opened up the conduit that allowed this to happen, and unknowingly, it seems." he added, his voice clearly indicating he didn't believe Crais's explanation that it was an accident.

  
Crais's jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. He turned his head to stare at the wall in front of him, his blood running cold. He hadn't realized what was happening that first time. All he knew was one minute he was exploring all the systems that the neural Transponder connected him to, and the next thing he felt was a wave of calm and peace. He sensed Talyn so much closer than before, and for a moment, it felt like a warm blanket wrapped around him. He wondered if Talyn felt this, and he both heard the reply in his mind and the comforted, happy blips through the consoles in the command center. He thought it was another effect of the Transponder, that it was still aligning their mental and neural signals. But after just a few microts, both him and Talyn were struck by severe electrical impulses, knocking them both unconscious and left to drift for a short time. Talyn was just a few solar days old when this happened.

  
Chiana tilted her head, twitching at the confusion.

  
"Wait a sec. So you mean Talyn and Crais were m-mmmff...!" Chiana started, and immediately had Crichton's hands over her mouth.

  
"Shut up, Chiana."

  
Chiana struggled and whined from behind Crichton's hands. She tried licking his hands, but all that got was John whining in complaint, but for Crais's sake, he kept his hands there. If Chiana spoke the last word to her question, no doubt someone would be wrapping their hands around Crais's neck. John leaned down and whispered to Chiana.

  
"Not. Another. Word. Chiana. D'Argo here looks like he's about to rip Crais apart, and I don't think Moya would appreciate blood all over her command floor, no matter how much I'd love to do it myself. Not to mention Talyn is still out there. Visible. It would be disrespectful. " He growled out, keeping his voice low. Honestly, he had no idea what Moya wanted. But with Talyn's remains visible from the main viewscreen, he really didn't think that they needed to disrespect Talyn with more anger and violence. Chiana grumbled and whined and finally sagged, agreeing to not finish her question.

  
Crais quietly took a shuddering, deep breath. He was prepared to face whatever the others had to throw at him. Yelling, screaming, even pain.

  
He knew after a couple times of Talyn disobeying and lashing out at him. It was the third time that Talyn had forced a bleedback on Crais that he finally got answers out of Talyn, even if it was through an argument that ended in severe pain for Crais. He found out that Talyn had been talking to Moya the last time they visited, about 30 solar days prior to the third bleedback, about a cycle after Talyn had been born. Moya had mentioned to Talyn what to expect when he would reach certain points in his development, considering new sections within Talyn were already being formed. Moya made the offhand remark about eventually finding a mate and very likely Soulbonding. Talyn, confused, asked a few other questions about it, attempting to not reveal his concerns. When Moya finally said it would link Talyn with his mate permanently, Talyn began to withdraw and grew upset, but hid it very well. What Talyn didn't know was that Moya had a pretty damn good guess as to what happened; while it made her angry, she had no choice. Talyn was well taken care of by Crais, and Crais was doing his best to teach Talyn about peace and to use his weapons for a last resort only. It was these reasons that eventually calmed Moya. To protect her son, she had to protect Crais now...which lead to her decision of secluding this information from Pilot.

During that third lashout, Crais hadn't even done anything to provoke the Leviathan other than make a suggestion about where to go, not that he had ever provoked Talyn to begin with. It always started as disagreements in actions. The argument that ensued once Talyn revealed why he was so angry brought forth emotions of shock, regret, pain and sorrow. Talyn felt betrayed, but Crais kept insisting he had no idea what had happened and that he would have never allowed it to happen had he known what was going on. Both were a victim of an accident, but Talyn was too upset to listen, causing severe damage to Crais, who eventually passed out from the torture.

Afterwards, Talyn had withdrawn from Crais as much as possible, only allowing him basic control of navigation and sensors for the longest time. That time was quite possibly the most painful part...and he knew it hurt for not only himself, but for Talyn, too, as the gunship's power levels began to lower and he began to weaken to the point of not even being able to do a Starburst. It scared Crais, and it didn't take him long to realize just what was going on, but it took considerably more time to convince Talyn to not kill himself over this. Ironically, it took using their Soulbond to keep Talyn from doing just that, and to bring him out of his depression. The reason Talyn kept lashing out...was that he felt that Crais had stolen his ability to ever find a mate and to keep him perpetually alone with Crais for as long as the Leviathan lived. A form of hatred had been planted within Talyn, but together over another cycle they began to work more together. It was hard for both of them. Talyn still lashed out at times. He became more unstable. He felt chased at every turn. Even with Crais there, no matter how close...his anger fueled the paranoia of being caught and enslaved..and a deeper fear of having Crais taken, which would likely result in Talyn's death.

When Stark had become temporarily bonded to Talyn in the Pilot's Den, Talyn bombarded him with so much information at the time. He saw...oh he saaaawwww...the pain and anguish that Talyn had been through. Stark saw the hatred. Stark begged to know why, and Talyn showed. Talyn shared the feelings of betrayal, the hurt and the paranoia that sprung from the fear of being caught and controlled. It all became clear to Stark, but there was nothing Stark could do for Talyn. A Soulbond was unbreakable except, usually, by death of BOTH participants. Stark later told Crais that he knew...oh how he knew. He would always know.  
  
That thought back then bothered Crais more than he realized, and the feeling backlashed into Talyn, which fueled more of his paranoia, leading to the destruction of the med ship.

 

Crais did his best to ignore Chiana, but she was right. He knew what her last word was, and in effect, with everything Pilot said, she was correct. And THAT thought...he didn't know what to even think of that. His jaw trembled with many mixed feelings. He continued to stare at the wall as he finally spoke.

  
"Well then. I guess this is one problem...you don't need to find a solution for." He said coldly, lashing out at the others, hiding the immense amount of pain he felt within. He turned, walking around the group and towards the door. "I need to rest." he said flatly, walking through the large command door and heading for a secluded space where he could grieve in peace.  
It was a non-negotiable statement, leaving the others stunned and shocked at what they had just learned.

  
Crais' blanket fell to the floor, forgotten.

* * *

 

Crais found himself on the observation deck. In front of and below them, the golden mist held Talyn's remains in a gentle hold, keeping him safe and sound in the Sacred Burial Grounds. He sat down in the middle of the deck, just staring at what remained of Talyn. He prayed no one would come looking for him. He didn't feel like talking to anyone, especially after he felt like he had been ripped open and all his and Talyn's secrets revealed. He reached up, wiping his face with a hand. His fingers brushed the bandage that covered the cut on his forehead, sending a shock of pain through him. A sudden well of anger rushed through him and he grabbed the bandage and yelled, ripping it off and throwing it a few feet away. Blood began to trickle slowly down his face, the pain in his forehead throbbing. He didn't care. He deserved it. He eventually rested his hand across his mouth and chin as he found himself thinking, anger still clouding his face.

  
_A mate..._

  
Crais scoffed sadly and shook his head burying his face with both hands now, smearing the blood across one side of his face. He had never thought of it that way at all. He had never considered that. It was physically impossible in every way, shape and form. What he and Talyn had was more of...well, it was an emotional connection. There were good times and bad, and he felt himself more of a mentor, friend, caretaker and captain rather than...The idea was far too strange to him, yet he still found Chiana to be right in a strange, perverse way.

  
"Talyn...Moya...I am so sorry. I swear to you...to BOTH of you...I never meant that to happen. I never wanted to steal Talyn's chances of finding a mate, of knowing what love was, of having children of his own." He talked softly, not even sure if Moya could hear him. He knew Talyn couldn't...

  
Talyn...

  
He stared at the remains, feeling as if there were still more to come. Like something else was going to happen. He reached up, feeling the transponder still buried deep in his neck. Maybe it was just phantom pain of Talyn's presence missing.

  
"I suppose it's time to have this removed..." he said to himself quietly. He lowered his hand and watched the endless gold sea of death in front of him for a few minutes before finally breaking down, able to grieve without someone else there.

  
Unbeknownst to him, Moya watched him through a DRD back at the door to the Observation Deck. Watching him wracked with tears, Moya realized something. He had told the truth about the Soulbond being an accident. But beyond that, the most important part was that he had truly cared for her son. Those two points brought her peace, and she relayed this to her Pilot, who also calmed at Moya's peace.


	2. What's In A Name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeframe: Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.
> 
> Story Summary: Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Resurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.
> 
> Chapter Summary: Athena is a 24 yr old highly practiced fighter pilot in the US military, as well as a spatial scientist bent on working on the now-assumed late John Crichton's designs. She discovers the wormhole technology and alters it to make it work properly, and now waits for a reply from IASA about her entry. However, she hates her birth name with a passion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter sets everything up, as do the next two chapters. Chris is a temporary OC, so don't mind him too much. Athena, AKA Tal, however, is a different story. I'd consider her a....partial OC. You'll see why in Chapter 5. So please don't be discouraged!  
> Also, edited a slight bit of information regarding timelines so that it fits better and flows smoother.

**Chapter Two: What's In A Name?  
**

* * *

"Yo, Slinky, hurry it up! We got flight practice in fifteen!"

The voice rang out from a twenty-four year old woman of Puerto Rican descent in a military flight jumpsuit as she clasped on a safety harness. Her black hair was tied to the back of her head tightly with a black tie, a few strands of red peeking out on the left side. Not military standards, but she always walked on the edge of rebellion. She was one of the Air Force's best fighter pilots, so they didn't give her too much grief for having a chunk of bright red hair. At least she tried to cover it when superiors were around. She was relatively average sized at five foot five, no glasses, and a smile that showed her fire and independence. Her eyes were always playful and cheerful, but if one looked close enough, there always seemed to be something missing. Not that she knew or cared. She was here, now and ready to play.

"How many times have I told you NOT to call me that, A-THEN-A?" Her male friend incited back, glowering at her. Athena glared back and threw her helmet at him.

"To many. I can't help it you looked like a damn slinky crawling out of the intake in my jet last year!" She smirked, remembering that day. The tall, brown-haired lanky man with a military-style buzz cut and nicely cropped goatee had crawled into the intake to do repairs after Athena had picked up on slight variations in the normal vibration of her jet. No one else knew what she was talking about. But she knew her jet, and knew something was wrong with it. She insisted on extensive diagnostics, which revealed a few minor problems which could have gotten bad. Ever since then, she called him Slinky. And much to her joy, he hated it.

"And I thought I told YOU to stop calling me Athena. You know I HATE that name." She added, grabbing a pack and walking to her taller, six foot two friend and yanking her helmet out of his hands. He chuckled and grabbed his own pack, turning to head out the door with her.

"Yeah, I know, Tal. But you keep calling me Slinky, I'll keep calling you by your birth name. Deal with it." He said, grinning. Athena leaned over slightly and socked him in the arm.

"Don't you dare, you jerk!" she said, laughing. He winced and rubbed his arm.

"Damn, you been working out more? That one actually hurt, Tal." He whined. "Gonna give me a bruise...Help, help, wingman abuse!" He jokingly called out. She threatened to sock him again.

"Don't even go there, Chris, you know I don't abuse you. And yes, I have been working out. Never know what's gonna happen. Besides, I prefer to stay in shape. Don't need to be getting lazy and flabby." She said as they stepped out onto the flightline. Seeing the blacktop made her heart soar and her soul feel free. She loved the feel of the wind blowing over the flightline, the sound of the jets as they powered up and readied for takeoff, how they sounded when they landed and powered down. It was all music to her ears. She breathed in deep, closing her eyes as a grin appeared on her face. Chris raised an eyebrow at her and then grabbed her in a one-armed hug, rubbing his knuckles across her head, messing up her hair, pulling the red chunk out a bit.

"Hey now, no getting all gushy now that we are on the flightline. We got practice, remember?"

She squealed and made her legs go limp, dropping her out of his hold.

"Dammit, Chris, stop that! I love being out here, and you know it." She said, standing back up again. This was normal operation for the two friends, constantly teasing each other.

"Yeah, well, I think you need a man." He said, knowing he was about to really get hit. And he was right. Right in the arm yet again. "Ow, dammit! ....that was worth it." he mumbled, chuckling. Tal shook her head and sighed as they walked around the hangar, her jet coming into view. There was a red and black hawk on it that she designed herself, the name Talon 1 written on it. It was her call sign when she was flying.

"I told you, when the right one comes along, I will know. Until then, I don't feel the need to pine away for someone that probably isn't even anywhere around here. I wanna LIVE life, Chris. I wanna be up there, free." She said, pointing to the sky, her smile widening. Chris sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You wouldn't know the right one if he came up behind you and bit you on the neck." He countered, dancing away from Tal. She growled at him for an instant, but was distracted by her jet as they came within it's range. She reached up and ran her hand along the leading edge of the wing.

"And how are you this morning?" She asked the jet, knowing full well it wouldn't actually reply, but it still felt normal to talk to her jet like it could understand her. She grinned and tossed her bag up onto the wing, grabbing the ladder behind the wing and hauling herself up. Chris had gotten used to this little ritual. Other pilots around the base sometimes did the same thing. He figured it was a pilot thing.  
"Single today, right?" He asked, referring to them each flying in different jets. She glanced down and nodded.

"Yup. Target practice today. Both of us are being graded. So that means...you get to shoot shit from your own jet!" She grinned down at him. Much as she loved her friend, she relished the days where she could fly solo and just _go_. Chris sighed.

"Alright, alright." He faked disappointment as he wandered over to his own jet a few yards away.

"Aww, don't be so depressed, Chris, you hate my barrel rolls!" She said, flashing an evil grin at him. He turned and looked at her, his eyes plainly expressing his fear of her barrel rolls. He HATED them. The first time she did it with him in the jet six months ago, he painted the ground with breakfast after they landed. She couldn't help but laugh at him afterwards when they were in the cafeteria.

"You're gonna do those? Yeah, I'll just stay in my jet." He said, clambering up the side of his jet, which had a black eagle with red claws spread across the side, with the call sign "Striker" under it. However, written in sharpie was the word, "Slinky" under it in small letters with a thin line through Striker. Tal had done that right after the repairs to her own jet. It remained a joke between them since then, and Chris couldn't bring himself to fix the name...she might use a bigger marker next time.

Tal raised the canopy to her jet, running her fingers across the side panel on the inside, and then hopped in, settling into the seat. She smiled at the control panel in front of her, currently dark. Soon that panel and the targeting screen would be lit up and alive with information.

"Hey, did you get it yet?" Chris yelled over from his own canopy. Tal began going over a pre-flight check.

"Nope, not yet. They said two months."

"It's been three, Tal. Maybe they didn't like something."

"Chris, I will get a notice either way." She said, peeking her head up a bit to look at him as he started his own pre-flight check. "The way I see it, no news is good news. And right now, I am just gonna count on that." She flipped up a few switches, feeling the power surging to life in her jet as she turned the panels on. The engines stayed silent for the moment. "Besides, its IASA. They take forever to decide. Two months probably means six, you know that. And I highly DOUBT they have anyone who has the kind of skill and information that I do regarding wormholes." She reached down, pressing a few buttons, checking over her firing mechanisms. She always had a fear those would malfunction mid-practice run.

"They're still looking for ways to get back John Crichton, right?" Chris asked, curious. Tal nodded as she sat back up.

"Yup. He's officially proclaimed dead, but IASA hasn't given up at all. No one knows what happened twenty-nine years ago. Even if he is dead, they aren't about to let go of the discovery of wormholes. And I am certain I found something that is gonna make all their heads spin." She said, grinning. She lifted up her helmet and put it on, indicating she was just a moment from switching on her engines. He followed suit, both their canopies closing.

"Tower, this is Talon-One, pre-flight check is green, I am go for takeoff." She said, powering up her engines. The hum that turned to a powerful whine made her spine tingle and filled her with excitement. A grin crossed her face as she felt the familiar vibrations of her jet powering up rumbling through her.

"Tower, this is Striker, pre-flight check is green, I am also go for takeoff." Came Chris over the comms, his own engines powering up.

"This is Tower. Talon-One, Striker you are both go for takeoff on Flightline Three. Taxi out when ready."

Tal let out a whoop and began moving her jet forward, her jet's wings bouncing slightly as she rolled across the blacktop, eventually getting into position. She grabbed a wire that was hanging from her control panel and hooked it up into a tiny black box with buttons on it. It was a music player. She had made this personal modification a few months ago. She found music helped her fly better, target better, and she focused better this way.

"Tower, this is Talon-One. I am in position and ready to go." She said, her finger hovering over the play button after selecting a song.

"This is Tower. Talon-One, you are a go."

Those were all the words she needed to hear as she hit play, put both hands on the stick and began to move forward, increasing power to her engines to the point it was a loud roar. Her music played so she could hear it, a song called Touch the Sky.

_When the cold wind's a callin',_   
_And the sky is clear and bright_   
_Misty mountains sing and beckon,_   
_Lead me out into the light!_

She pulled back on the stick, raising her jet's nose into the air. She felt the wings grasp the air like a hawk grabbing prey and she felt the lift, pulling her into the sky and welcoming her into it's wide expanse.

_I will ride, I will fly_   
_Chase the wind and touch the sky_   
_I will ride, I will fly_   
_Chase the wind and touch the sky!_

She didn't hear the usual chatter of Tower and Striker approving takeoff. She flew upwards into the air, turning her aircraft so that one wing pointed down towards the flightline as she circled back, feeling free once more.

"Aww yeah, now THIS is the life!" She called out over the comms. She straightened out again, then turned once more, heading for the Tower. She loved scaring the crap out of them. As her friend took off, she buzzed the tower, coming within just a few feet. She cackled as she saw papers fly into the air and people scrambling towards the door inside the tower as she flew past.

"TALON!" Came a screech from Tower Command. Tal laughed.

"Aww come on, no harm done, guys!"

"One of these days, Tal, they're gonna fire you." Chris said, chuckling. Tal laughed and straightened out, heading for the firing range that was a few minutes away. Chris followed, shaking his head as both jets settled in next to each other.

"They'd never fire me, Slinky, you know that. I'm one of their best fighter pilots. And by the time I am done with you, so will you be." She said, grinning. She didn't have to see his face to know he was rolling his eyes at her nickname again.

* * *

 

Fourty-five minutes later the two had landed after an exhilarating flight and target practice. Tal had scared the shit out of her friend a few times by flying close to the ground and pulling up at the last second before she would hit some rocks in front of her. It was a game she absolutely loved playing. Get in close, see how much you could take and get out before you're crushed.

"You, Talon, are gonna get yourself KILLED one of these days." Chris said, grumbling. He felt sick to his stomach after watching his friend play that game after their target practice was done. Tal shrugged and grinned.

"I know what I am doing, I'll be fine." She turned to walk backwards, looking up at him. "You really gotta learn to let loose and trust your instincts." She said, nodding and pounding her chest with one fist. The image made Chris chuckle.

"You look like a damned gorilla doing that."

"Ooohhr ohhr!! oOh-ohh-ooohhhhrr ahhrrrr!" Tal blurted out, pounding her chest more and making gorilla sounds. It ended in both of them laughing as then entered the Pilot's locker room. Her laughter fell silent as she rounded the corner, seeing a folded envelope sticking out from her locker. Her friend saw it, too.

"Tal, is that...?"

Tal didn't reply as she jogged up to her locker, dropping her pack and helmet carelessly in a hurried attempt to grab the envelope. She unfolded it, her eyes widening at the insignia on the back.

"Chris...it's IASA..." she breathed, flipping it over to open it, and pausing, fear paralyzing her.

"What are you waiting for, open it!"

She swallowed and looked up at him. "Chris. You realize that what I have in my hand will either be a confirmation of everything I have ever dreamed of, or the one thing that brings me crashing to the ground, right?" She said, her hands shaking in nervousness. Chris stood there, watching her.

"Talon. You're an amazing individual. You set your own path. That path is the stars, Talon. Open it." He said, using the full name that she preferred over her birth name. It wasn't often he used it, he normally called her Tal, or 'Thena when he was mad at her. But today, she needed the strength. He pointed at it in her hands and nodded as he told her to open it.

She looked back down at the envelope. He was right. She made her own path. She closed her eyes again, and envisioned the stars around the earth as it hung by an invisible force in space, the sun rising over the earth, and the endless possibilities beyond their solar system. She opened her eyes again, gritted her teeth and ripped open the envelope and took out the one-page letter, her eyes eagerly and nervously flitting across the words printed.

Chris watched on in nervous anticipation, praying her reaction in the next two seconds would be one of her cheering and screaming.

_"Capt Athena Grace,_   
_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Spatial Anomaly Project at IASA...."_

Once her eyes got to the end of that sentence, she screamed. Her scream was one of a happy nature, and she started crying and hugging the letter to her chest. Several other pilots came running, but when they saw she was squealing in joy, they realized what was going on. Everyone knew she had been waiting for this letter, and everyone had been anxious to see what IASA's reply would be.

"I'm going to IASA...I'm going to IASA!" She bounced around, hugging her friends as they came up and started cheering and clapping for her. It felt like a dam broke inside her and she felt an endless wave of happiness. Chris was thrilled for his friend. He knew he wouldn't see her as much and that made him sad...but she was absolutely thrilled, and that made him happy.

All Tal knew at this point, was her life was just starting, and the possibilities were now endless.


	3. Warp? Or Starburst?

**Title: What The Soul Remembers**

**Universe:** Farscape

  
**Timeframe:** Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.

  
**Story Summary:** Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Ressurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.

  
**Chapter Summary:** Playful arguments about what to call the effect that surrounds the ship in her simulations. Scifi nerds wanna call it warp, but Tal has other ideas.

  
**Notes:** A little bit shorter, but a fun one. Another couple OC's just to get the story rolling. Temps. Very much temps. :3

 

**Chapter Three: Warp? Or Starburst?**

* * *

 

 

The first time that Tal stepped foot into IASA's main building, she was blown away. She shifted the heavy equipment bag on her right shoulder, her suitcase's handle was released from her left hand as she reached up and took off the dark, gold and red reflective sunglasses off her face. All around the inside, models of old versions of spacecraft hung around the ceiling with matching podiums around the room underneath their respective craft. One caught her eye; the Farscape 1, which obviously had to be a mockup, considering the fact that there was no way they would have retrieved that. Underneath it was a podium for John Crichton. She grabbed her suitcase and walked over to it, studying it. She had seen the man's face thousands of times. He was kind of her hero in a way. He accidently discovered wormholes on that fateful day that he disappeared. Deep down she had a fantasy that he was still alive and well, aboard some crazy alien spacecraft and just having the time of his life. She ran her finger across the description panels, soaking up everything like she was a sponge.

"Captain Grace?"

She whirled, startled. An older gentleman about four inches taller than her in another military uniform, a Major, from the look of the insignia, stood with his hands behind his back in parade rest. Recognizing the insignia, she took note of his name and stood at attention, saluting.

"Major Lzynski, sir!" She exclaimed, holding her salute. This man, to her, was almost as legendary as Crichton. This guy headed the Spatial Anomaly Project. Her head swam again at being there for this. The major chuckled and returned the salute.

"At ease, Captain. You can relax around here." he said, hopefully calming her tenseness. His steel blue eyes danced with a strong life, cheerful and fulfilled in his life, but still craving more. "Around here, half the people are civillians...brilliant ones, at that. It's not often we get someone like you wandering in for one of our projects. Most of the time the military takes up so much time that brilliant individuals don't have the means to do the extra research." He reached over and took her suitcase in a helpful gesture. Tal smiled.

"Thankyou, sir. It's an incredible honor to be here." She said, noting the peppered grey of his moustach and neatly trimmed and close-cropped hair. He looked to be in his fifties, but still seemed to feel like he was closer to thirty. Major Lzynski chuckled.

"Oh no, it's an honor to HAVE you here." He looked at her as they began to walk through the building. He'd take her to her barracks first, then take her on a tour. "When you first submitted your proposal, our scientists were blown away and didn't believe any of it. It took them a month and a half to finally verify your equations and simulations. Another month after that to RE-evaluate everything." He chuckled. "Once they did, I swear I was going to have to pay for a truckload of buckets to catch their drool in." He said, chuckling more. Tal laughed at the image. A bunch of drooling scientists surrounding her...she both found it amusing and yet a tad scary.

"Well, hopefully they won't drool on me...I prefer to have a clean and dry uniform when I am working." She said, grinning. Lzynski laughed.

"Ahh, a good sense of humor, too. I like that. I am sure you'll fit right in, Athena." He stated as they turned a corner. Tal winced.

"Um, if it wouldn't be too much trouble...if you must use a name, call me Talon. Or Tal. Either works. But please...not my birth name." She glanced up at the Major, who glanced down at her questioningly and curiously.

"Talon, huh? Not something you hear too often. Any reason why?"

"Never liked the name Athena." Tal shrugged, shifting her bag again. Damn that thing was heavy. "My mother named me Athena before she died. I guess she wanted me to be named after the warrior goddess. But all my life I've loved unusual names, and Talon is one. I feel its..." she paused a moment, looking for the right words. "Stronger, I suppose? Never really thought about the need behind it. Just like it way better than Athena." She said, distaste in her last few words. "Not to mention I've begun the process of offically changing my name." she added, having put in the paperwork two weeks prior to her arriving at IASA. The Major smiled at that.

"Alright, good enough." they reached her door. "Well, here we are. This is your room..." he started, pulling out a keypass and handing it to her. "Press your thumb against the print scanner, and wave the key here," he said, pointing to where the card scanner was. "That will get you locked into the system. You'll need to do it one more time afterwards to get in." He pulled out another keycard and stuck it into another panel on the other side of her door. Tal figured it was an authorization sequence. At least they were thorough here. She did as he asked, hearing the computer beep.

"Welcome, Captain Athena Grace." The computer beeped, the print scanner going dark. The major pulled his keycard out and nodded. Tal did the sequence again, and her door unlocked. As she stepped in, the lights powered on, the light raising in intensity as she entered. She dropped her bag off near the door, walking around a little in amazement. The furnishings were simple, yet elegant and modern. Sharp corners of a wood entertainment center stained to a near-black, tall, slender corner lamps behind a cream-colored leather couch, a pale grey carpet, white walls and a coffee table to match the entertainment center. A plant sat by a closed window, which she walked over to and opened the blinds, the brillant light of the day flooding in and bringing life to her new quarters. The window turned out to be a sliding glass door with a screen, which had it's own security locks on it. She unlocked it and slid the door open, the fresh air rushing in, making her close her eyes and breathe deeply. Everything was clean and neat.

"This is incredible..." she breathed, turning to look at the Major. He smiled.

"Kitchen is down that hall, bathroom and bedroom down that way." He said, pointing in each direction. He watched as Tal leaned forward, looking down each hall. She'd have to look at them shortly. "Meet me in the Center Hall again in thirty minutes. I'll take you on a tour and show you your station." Major Lzynski finished, a wide smile on his face. He was excited to see her working, to see what they would all come up with, now that they were there. Tal went to attention and saluted.

"Yes, sir."

"Welcome aboard, Captain." He said, saluting back. The words made Tal grin from ear to ear as she dropped her salute finally. The excitement she felt was overwhelming and she couldn't WAIT to get started.

* * *

 

"No way, look at this. It's clearly more like when the Enterprise goes into Warp. The bright flash of light as the ship disappears...it's just like Warp speed!"

Tal sighed and leaned back in the comfortable office-like lounge chairs. It was two months into her stay there, and she had managed to fit in very well. Everyone flocked around her the first day, and she dove right in almost immediately when someone showed her some theories. She saw flaws in them, and started pointing things out. She never noticed the Major leave with a grin on his face.

The crew was on a lunch break, but around here, they worked even when on lunch. She enjoyed her company, even these almost daily debates about what to call her new means of propulsion. The person who spoke was a new friend of hers, a female civilian scientist by the name of Amber LeQuin. Short, blond hair tied up in a bun, green eyes and a quick wit, Amber was a huge science fiction geek and had every single episode of Star Trek, from the first series to the latest, and all movies inbetween at home. Right now the two of them were in the middle of watching ST: Voyager. Next Gen and Voyager were Tal's favorites of the series. It was a nightly ritual to watch a few episodes after a hard day's work.

Tal stared at her laptop, which she built specifically for simulations, the final image frozen in place from the simulation they just watched. It sat on the table surrounded by pizza, sandwiches and drinks of different kinds. The back of her computer was covered in red and black sharp-edged decals, something she picked out from a computer store online. She picked up a tablet, tapping the screen a few times, then reached over and punched in a few numbers onto her computer.

"No, now look at this. Rewatch this." She pressed another button and leaned back, brushing the longer strands of hair on her left side behind her ear. Here she was able to wear her hair down. The right side and along the top were cropped to a few inches long, making it look slightly spiky. The left side, though, was longer, down to her shoulder. The red streak was plainly visible, and everyone loved it.

A simulation played on the computer with a small craft that they were in the final stages of actually building. It showed an energy charge accumulating over the entire craft, coalesing at the front in a point, directed by a small antenna-like protrusion. At the end of this point, a ring of energy exploded, holding its size for a few seconds before the ship shot through, leaving the energy ring to burst into a bunch of little pinpoints of light.

"There. You can't tell me that doesn't look like a star blowing up, with the energy particles flying everywhere. It's called a Starbrust. Plain and simple." Tal said, sticking her tongue out at Amber. The two were often like kids when together. Amber picked up another slice of pizza and waved it at Tal.

"No way. I stand by my decision. Warp Drive!" She grinned, taking a bite of hot and cheesy meatlover's pizza. The cheese stretched out as she tried to take only one bite. Tal snickered, watching her stretch the cheese out almost as far as her arm.

"Got problems there, Amber?" She asked, moving only to grab her soda and take a cold, refreshing drink from it. Amber growled, trying to wind the cheese around a finger to get it to break.

"Admit it. Starburst, or I am not helping you with your pizza."

Amber whined, but shook her head. She finally managed to break the cheese and she chewed, finishing her bite finally.

"Nope. It's Warp. And I'm sticking with that!"

Tal rolled her eyes and leaned over, pretending to strangle her friend.

"You drive me crazy sometimes! I created it, it's Starburst. Deal with it!" Both ended up laughing as another team member came in with another tablet. Tal looked up as the man walked in.

"Here's the reports on the latest simulations, Talon." He said, holding it out to her. The team had gotten used to just calling her Tal or Talon, and even dropped her rank. Around a bunch of civilians, she felt more comfortable that way. Tal took the tablet, tapping a few things on the screen, a smile on her face.

"Thanks, Rob. This is perfect. At this rate, I can confidently say we will be launching in two months or less." She said, a huge grin on her face. Both Rob and Amber stared at her in amazement.

"Really?" Amber asked. "We've come that far already?"

Tal nodded, handing her the tablet.

"Yup. Check it out."

Amber tapped a few things also, and her eyes visibly brightened. "Two months?"

"Two months."

All three of them started talking excitedly, as if a fire was light under them. Forgotten was the pizza as all three poured over simulations again, eager to see this whole thing in action. In amongst the talking, Rob agreed with Amber.

"Definitely Warp."

"ARG!" Tal's voice rang out clear, a perfectly-aimed punch to his shoulder making him wince and laugh.


	4. This Is Not The Time

**Title: What The Soul Remembers**

**Universe:** Farscape  
  
 **Timeframe:** Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.  
  
 **Story Summary:** Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Resurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.  
  
 **Chapter Summary:** The launch is a success until she initiates Starburst during a magnetic storm after a solar flare. Told to abort, it was too late to end the Starburst process. Tal ends up arriving nearby Moya, just three months after Talyn's death...24 years into her past.  
  
 **Notes:** Alrighty, here we go. Bear with it, we are about to rejoin Moya and her crew. YAY! Also, editing the timeline slightly after finding out some other information about when Talyn was born and when he died, and accounting in information on when John ended up on Moya.

**Chapter Four: This Is Not The Time  
**

* * *

  
"Mission Control, this is Captain Talon Grace, Farscape 2, separation complete, all systems are green."

"Roger that, you are go for test flight at your convenience."

It was the words she had waited forever to say. Two months had passed quickly, almost a blur to her now that she was sitting in the cockpit of a newly designed spacecraft designed specifically for the new version of travel, which most of the center decided on Warp. She still insisted on Starburst. It was her baby, she would call it as she pleased. Her fingers danced over the controls, which were similar in many ways to her jet. A slight stab of sadness rushed through her. She missed her jet. But she had good times and would remember them always. She had decided, however, to bring her jet with her in spirit, having her call sign and insignia printed on the side of this prototype spacecraft.

The launch had gone without a hitch. It was the most exhilarating feeling to be blasted into space. Weighlessness took control, but she was held to her seat by her safety harness. She lowered her sun visor, blocking out the most harmful rays of the sun. As her craft moved higher, the sun appeared in a brilliant flash above the curvature of the Earth's surface. Tal stared in awe at it. It was a dream come true. Her craft glittered in the sunlight as it rose into a steady orbit. It was shaped rather oddly, like a teardrop. The back end was rounded where two igniters were within an inch of a central orb that was held in place by a single rod that held a massive amount of electrical wiring and coolant. The ship followed the contour of a water droplet, forming to a point at the front where the energy would be directed and focused. At the tip was a small antenna. This was where the energy would be the most focused, and where the tear into subspace would occur. The words "United States" were printed on the side of the white craft with the American Flag, the name Farscape 2 printed in smaller letters underneath. And underneath that, her name. Captain Talon Grace. Her name change had been official just a week prior to the launch, and they surprised her by revealing her new name on the craft. It also served as the launch party for the entire team.

"Mission Control...I wish you could see this. The view is beautiful up here!" She exclaimed.

"Take pictures for us, Tal!" Amber came over the comms, and Tal snickered.

"Pics or it didn't happen, right?"

"Damn straight!"

"If this goes the way I plan, you'll be getting pictures of the earth the size of a pinhead."

Laughter ensued over the comms before getting back down to business. Tal's fingers ran over the controls, running a last minute check on systems and her simulations. She wouldn't need to be gaining speed for this particular trial. The Starburst effect would take care of speed, if everything panned out just as in the simulations. When everything checked out, she licked her lips. This was it. She plugged in the music player she brought with, and chose a song again. No way in hell was she going through this without a wonderful kickback to one of her favorite, but older, movies. She flipped on the comms.

"Alright, Mission Control. All sims check out, variations are accounted for, and we are ready for test flight."

"Roger, Farscape 2. Proceed."

"Copy that. But first, here's a throwback for everyone, a little Top Gun." She said, flipping on the song. Danger Zone began playing through the comms, and she heard cheers from Control. It was perfect for the situation.

_Revvin' up your engine_   
_Listen to her howlin' roar_   
_Metal under tension_   
_Beggin' you to touch and go_   
  
_Highway to the Danger Zone_   
_Ride into the Danger Zone_

Tal punched in a series of buttons, feeling the engines of her craft whirring to life. It was different than her jet, but familiar enough to make her blood rush with excitement.

"Power cells charging. Engines building to maximum power." She said, keeping Mission Control updated on her actions.  
  
 _Headin' into twilight_  
 _Spreadin' out her wings tonight_  
 _She got you jumpin' off the deck_  
 _And shovin' into overdrive  
_  
 _Highway to the Danger Zone_  
 _I'll take you_  
 _Right into the Danger Zone_

Several indicators lit up, and she pressed a few more buttons, stabilizing power and redirecting circuts. There were minor overloads, but nothing that would put the test or her life in danger.

"Got a yellow light on port ignition line, rerouted through the auxillery. All systems report green." Tal felt her little ship began to shake slightly, but nothing was out of the ordinary.  
  
 _They never say hello to you_  
 _Until you get it on the red line overload_  
 _You'll never know what you can do_  
 _Until you get it up as high as you can go_

She felt the power rise more, and she closed her eyes for a moment, feeling as if she had felt this before. The waiting for power to build for a big event. She shrugged it off and pressed a few more buttons, checking power levels and running diagnostics. Everything was in order. A green light flipped on. Tal smiled.

"Mission Control, I have maximum power. I am ready to proceed." Her hands shook with excitement and nervousness, but she took a deep breath and focused. This was the biggest moment of her life, she swore it.

"Farscape 2, Proceed with Warp test."

"Got that, Mission Control! Here we go! Initiating _Starburst_ in three...two...one!" She said, emphasizing her name for the whole thing and reached down, pressing that green light. In the background, she heard a commotion. Power began surging through her small craft.

"Talon, Talon, Abort, sensors picked up magnetic storm approaching!" Came a frantic call across the comms. Tal swore under her breath.

"Are you serious?! I've already initiated Starburst! I can't just shut it off! What are we paying you weather people for?! You didn't see this coming!?" She yelled, her heart pounding. She pressed a few buttons, trying to keep her calm, but panic was beginning to take over. "Not good, not good, not good...!"

A yellow sheen of electricity flowed over the ship from the rear, coalescing at the front. The rip in subspace was seconds away.  
  
 _Out along the edge_  
 _Is always where I burn to be_  
 _The further on the edge_  
 _The hotter the intensity_

"Sonofabitch...If I make it out of this alive, SOMEONE is getting FIRED!" She yelled over the comms. She saw blue sparkles at the front of her craft, indicating the mixture of the storm and her ship's energy. "Shit..." She gritted her teeth. "Mission Control, prepare for Subspace rip, I am going in." She called out, watching the tear rip across her view, widening into a black maw, gold and blue sparkles floating in a large circle in front of her, fed by the energy of her ship and the magnetic storm. Her heart pounded, praying it wouldn't have a huge effect.

Tal felt a sudden surge as something grabbed her ship and yanked it in. Down at Mission Control, her ship disappeared completely...a swirl of blue and gold energy sparkles spreading out in every which way, like a star that had burst into a million particles.

Within the tear, blue energy swirled around her and battered her little ship. It looked amazing, and reminded her of not quite of the usual ideas of a wormhole, and not quite of the warp effect one would see on Star Trek with the stars zooming past. More, it was like blue electrical clouds rushing past, being stretched out. It was hauntingly familiar, and yet extremely frightening. She struggled to maintain focus, activating sensors and taking in tons of energy readings from one end of the spectrum to another. Her song still played in the background, coming to an end, and it was more accurate than she imagined. She was, literally, on a highway to a danger zone. At least she felt like it.  
  
 _Highway to the Danger Zone_  
 _I'm gonna take you_  
 _Right into the Danger Zone_  
 _Highway to the Danger Zone_  
 _Right into the Danger Zone_

Lights began flickering red and yellow, and her heart skipped a beat. That wasn't good. She began rerouting power through different systems, redirecting coolant through secondary systems to keep the ship cool, and lowering life support to minimum levels to redirect power to other sections. She didn't want to die out here by the ship blowing up. She wanted to live to see what was on the other side of this. She realized with a start that she should have been out of it by now. It wasn't supposed to be a long trip, just a few seconds long.

"Shit...shitshitshit..." She mumbled to herself, grabbing the sides of her chair after rerouting power. A thought crossed her mind about shutting down all power, wondering if it would throw her out of the tear, or if it would cause her ship to destablize. She gritted her teeth and let it go. She had to fall out of this at some point. Her ship was shaking hard. She fought against the panic that welled up inside her, watching what was going on and making sure that sensors were recording everything. Even if something happened, hopefully she'd make it back to Earth to give them the readings. Who knows, maybe the magnetic storm actually helped the situation.

She was suddenly thrown from subspace, the jolt causing her to hit her head. Even through the helmet, she blacked out instantly, not even registering that she had successfully completed the Starburst attempt.

* * *

 

Two hours later, she finally awoke to a small beeping sound. She groaned, raising a hand to her head, touching her helmet instead. She looked at her hand, then remembered where she was. Her ship. Awareness came back to her quickly. The beeping was the sound of her life support systems. They were nearing dangerous levels. She bit her lip, looking out the windows of her ship. Nothing. There was nothing anywhere in sight. None of the stars looked familiar either.

"Aww hell..." she groaned, smacking her hand down on the console in front of her. A small red light began blinking under her hand without her noticing. She took a deep breath to calm herself. The more she used oxygen, the less time she would have. She needed to focus and calm herself. She checked her sensors; they were still on. She ran a scan around the area, and nothing was familiar at all. Fear crept into her heart and squeezed at it. If she was in a non-familiar place, floating and spinning slowly, then the chances of using the stars to navigate back home was impossible. The thought scared her. This wasn't supposed to happen. And she didn't want to die out here, alone, in an uncharted area of space. She leaned her head back, staring up at the stars above her. Something about it brought her peace. She remembered what Chris had said to her the day she opened the envelope.

_"...You set your own path. That path is the stars, Talon... "_

"If only you knew, Chris..." she mumbled, still staring at the stars.

She was startled out of deep, finalizing thoughts by a burst of brilliant blue light above and to her right. She sat up, her eyes growing wide.

"What the hell...?" she started, her words falling away as soon as something began to emerge from the hole that had appeared. It looked similar to what she had just done, only blue, not gold. Her eyes widened more as the blue energy surrounding the object faded, revealing a beautiful, amazingly built golden spacecraft. The design of it was eerily familiar. The front was rounded, the back end ending in a point. From the sides protruded two more sections, curving in a gentle arc around towards the back, appearing to touch the point of the main section.

"Holy Mother of...." she whispered, her eyes as wide as they could go. Her heart pounded frantically. Was this friend? Foe? She prayed to every god and goddess that Earth knew that it wasn't someone who was going to blast her out of the sky, or take her captive. But something about the beauty of the ship instilled a sense of peace with it. It didn't look like it had any weaponry. Maybe she was in luck.

A sudden static over her comms, followed by strange sounds and noises, caused her to jump out of her skin. She stared at the console, listening. Was she hearing alien chatter? Perhaps they were asking who she was. That was the most logical thing she could think of. Tentatively, she reached out and pressed her comm button.

"I am Captain Talon Grace, United States Air Force...of the planet Earth." She added the planet as an afterthought, remembering where she was. "I bear no harm to anyone. I am an explorer and scientist. I do not understand you." She said carefully, releasing the button, hoping that nothing bad would happen. She heard more mumbling in the background of the comms, as if trying to figure out who or what she was.

"Are you kidding me? Earth actually managed to send someone out here after only five cycles? Err, years? How'd you find me?!" came a male voice over the comms. Tal couldn't believe her ears. After watching video after video, John Crichton's voice was very familiar. But something was off.

"John Crichton? Commander?" She asked, dazed and stunned.

"The one and only! Damn it's good to see you guys!" His voice came back strong and cheerful over the comm system. He was obviously happy that someone from Earth was around.

"Sir...it's just me, and I have no idea where I am at. Furthermore, what do you mean, five years?" She asked, pausing a moment. "Sir....you've been gone twenty-nine years..."

Onboard the golden ship, John Crichton stood at one of Moya's control stations in the command center, his hands resting on the panel. He was surrounded by the others, all of which shared his confused look.

"W...what?" he asked, blinking in total confusion. "What do you mean, _twenty-nine years?_ "

* * *

 

Tal felt her ship touch solid ground as she was brought on board the golden ship. She flipped a few switches, powering down her ship and putting it into a sleep mode. She popped the hatch, letting the canopy rise on it's own hydraulics. She unhooked her harness and sat up, pushing herself upwards. As she removed her helmet, a small movement caught her eye, and it rested on a strange yellow creature, almost beetle-like in shape, a little bigger than a football, but clearly mechanical. It had two small stalks, both of which had lights on the end. She stared at it as it pointed it's eye-light things at her. She felt like she was being stared at and she turned her head slightly. She slitted her eyes slightly, then leaned to one side. The eye things followed her. She leaned the other way. Again, it followed her. Tal huffed and shoved the longer strands of her now-helmet-head hair behind her ear, the red strand peeking out from underneath.

"Look, I don't know what you are, or who you are, but I am not here to hurt you. I'm going to get out of my ship now...you just stay there." She had no idea if it understood her, but she carefully climbed out of the ship, finally hitting the ground with a thud. It didn't sound like normal metal. She heard a sound to her right and felt something bump into her, and she looked down. The yellow beetle thing was at her feet. She had barely any time to move before she felt a sharp stab of pain lance through her foot. She yelped and jumped back, limping for a few seconds.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?! What did you do to me?!" She cried out, anger flooding through her cheeks as she walked up to it with the intention to kick it across the room. But it proved fruitless as the little thing zipped around the room, causing her to run in circles around her ship. "You little piece of shit, get back here! I did nothing to harm you and you attacked me! Get back here! I swear I am gonna rip those stalks off...whatever you have for a head!" She yelled, unaware of the others that had just come into the hangar bay, and were all attempting to not laugh at the scene.

John stood there and crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"What did it do to you, stab you?" He asked, causing Tal to whirl around, almost losing her balance. She saw John first, and then her eyes widened at the array of strange people next to him. One was large with reddish skin and tendrils hanging from his face. Clearly male. Another was a pale grey with white hair. She seemed to have a slight twitching problem. Another looked like a human female. She was standing next to John, her hands on a rifle of sorts, ready to shoot if necessary. Yet another had bright orange permed hair, looked almost human, but there were differences. Her hairline was further back, thin lines running down towards her forehead that looked almost like scars, but Tal didn't think that's what it was. Her skintone was a little off, too. And her clothes...looked like some kind of nightclub bondage clothing or something, all leather. The last was floating about in a little chair, and it reminded her of some kind of weird frog-slug combination.

"Hmm...are you sure she's not a Peacekeeper?" It asked, clearly skeptical of her origin. What shocked her most was that she could understand it. John rolled his eyes.

"Rygel, would you LOOK at the side of the ship? Would you LOOK at her outfit? Classic Earth IASA jumpsuit. No red, no black, certainly NOT Peacekeeper." He said, half tempted to smack the little green guy upside the head. The creature named Rygel grumbled.

"She has red and black in her hair." Rygel pointed out.

"It's HAIR, Rygel. Is she wearing the usual Peacekeeper garb? No. You're hopeless, Sparky." He dug his knuckles into the top of Rygels head, causing the slug-frog thing to flail about and threaten John with bodily harm.

"Well, I think I am sure. I've never seen her, or that craft, before in my life." The woman spoke with a slight accent, waving the business end of her rifle around towards the small ship, but making no real threatening motion to shoot. Tal glanced around at all of them, staying still.

"...you...you all speak English...?" She asked, tentatively. John stepped forward, eager to get a closer look at Tal's ship.

"Translator microbes. That's what the DRD got you with. It's harmless. Had them in me since the first day I appeared out here." He said, swinging under one of the power igniters. He was curious about how a design so familiar would come from Earth. "Tell me, how did you come up with this design?" he asked, running a hand along the length of it. It severely reminded him of Moya's Starburst igniters.

"DRD?" she asked, confused. "And...It's my own design." She added, watching the man who had become her idol inspect her ship. He swung back around from under the ship, one hand hanging onto the top of the landing gear. He just stared at her.

"YOU designed this?" He asked. The other members of the crew eyeballed each other. Tal nodded.

"Yeah...she's beautiful, huh?" Tal grinned and walked over, running her hand over the side of the ship. "I designed it to make a new style of propulsion work properly." she said, beaming. "She's my baby, and apparently takes a beating and keeps on flying." She said, noting burns on the hull. Her fingers brushed over them and she sighed.

"New style? You guys figured out wormholes?" He asked, his voice growing hopeful. Tal looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"No, not exactly. I found a way to tear a hole into subspace and slip through." She turned her attention to the sensor panels on her ship. "I called it Starburst. Everyone else wanted to call it a warp drive. Except it's not warp drive. There are huge differences and no one gets that." She said, exasperated, unaware of the gawking stares she was getting. She flipped open a panel and pressed a few buttons, satisfied that the panels hadn't been damaged in the transit. She closed it and looked at John, realizing the room had gotten extremely quiet. She looked around at everyone.

"...what? Do I have something in my teeth?" She asked cautiously. Her eyes darted from one person to another, slightly worried.

"I'm not sure who you are, but Starburst is only capable in nature." Said the woman, her hands tightening on her weapon. Clearly she didn't trust this new arrival. Tal looked back at John, who seemed equally surprised.

"So lemme get this straight. Earth figured out a way to replicate Starburst without ever even seeing it?" He asked, confusing Tal more.

"I...I don't understand." She shifted her weight, crossing her arms. She didn't like the woman with the dark hair and the gun. She hated feeling threatened. "I've been interested in space travel ever since I can remember. I've been writing equations and simulations since I was twelve, trying to bring this project to life." She said, looking around, feeling more and more like she needed something to protect herself. "Is there something I should know?" she finally asked, looking back at John. He seemed to debate for a moment, then looked at something on the wall.

"Pilot, how long before we can Starburst again?" He asked into thin air. A second later a holo vidscreen popped up on a curved structure on the wall. The creature in the vidscreen was the most unusual she had ever seen. Dark blues and greys, the creature's head was like that of a dome. It reminded her of some kind of shell. The top appeared smooth, but it's face was wrinkled. Perhaps it was how that species was. Tal's mouth dropped open. They had Starburst out here, too?

"Moya says she can perform another Starburst shortly." the creature known as Pilot replied. A second later, Tal noticed it was staring at her. "And who might this be?"

Tal realized with a start that she was expected to answer, and she cleared her throat, shifting a bit, dropping her arms out of the defensive crossed state she had them in.

"Captain Talon Grace...I just...dropped in, I guess you could say." She replied. What she didn't expect was the momentary flickering of sadness on everyone's faces. She figured maybe they knew someone with the same name, but something about how they reacted bothered her.

"I see," Pilot said after a momentary silence. "Well, any friend of Crichton's...is a friend of mine." He said, using one of John's quotes that he felt appropriate for this moment. Tal got a half smile across her face and chuckled softly.

"Thanks..." she was still a bit overwhelmed about all this. She noticed the pale chick just staring at her as if judging her, and the taller red tentacled guy clutching a rather thick-looking sword. John stepped back towards the group, speaking to Pilot again.

"How much time before we need to meet up with Crais again?" he asked, reaching up and running a hand across the top of his head.

"Approximately six arns."

"Good, that gives us plenty of time."

"Plenty of time?" Tal asked, curious. John turned around and waved his hands a bit.

"Yeah. To get you acquainted to the crew, the ship...and I am curious to see how in the frell you came up with all of this." he said, using a word she wasn't familiar with as he pointed at her ship. Tal shrugged mentally. Why not? Who knew how long she was gonna be here anyway.

"Sure, why not?" she replied. She stared at the rest of the group, curious about them. John looked at her, then the crew, then back at her.

"By the way...Ka D'Argo, Chiana, Jool, Rygel and Aeryn." He said, pointing at each in turn. "Bialar Crais is off on a scouting mission, he'll be back in a bit." D'Argo bowed slightly while Chiana's shoulders and head twitched a bit, and Jool just crossed her arms and stared at Tal. Aeryn finally relaxed her hold on her weapon. The more Tal looked at her, the more she swore she had seen that woman before...but probably just because of likenesses between whatever she was, and humans.

"That's _Dominar_ Rygel, to _you_ ," Rygel quipped, pointing at Tal and trying to draw himself up further. Obviously he viewed himself as extremely important. Tal gave him a disbelieving look.

"Riiight...Dominar. Got it."

"And don't you forget it!" he added, pointing at her again with little stubby green fingers. John rolled his eyes and grabbed Rygel's chair, turning him around.

"Don't you have a mess hall to go eat or something, Sparky?" He asked, exasperated.

"How dare you! I'll have you know I already ate my fill for the arn!" Rygel exclaimed, flailing about as John shoved him through the doors, everyone else following. Tal looked at the vidscreen, the creature named Pilot watching everything. Their eyes met, his golden eyes to to her hazel. For a brief moment, her world seemed to spin. She shook her head, glanced at Pilot one last time, and headed off into the direction that everyone else was. She could still hear the arguing, and this time a deeper male's voice and a squeaky female's voice chimed in, but the words were lost on her. As she got out into the hallway, the architecture stunned her. She reached out, touching one of the regularly spaced rounded support beams. They reminded her of scales the way they were covered. The metal was golden in some areas, rose-gold in others, and in some cases, a dark brown, almost aged bronze. It was beautiful. The metal was warm to the touch. She glanced up as a strange whispering hum flowed through the hallway. She was briefly reminded of whalesong, but this was far quieter. She withdrew her hand, staring around behind her and then forward again, following the others again.

Just what the hell was this place? She figured she'd be finding out real soon.

Pilot watched their new arrival leave, grumbling discontentedly to himself. Something felt off about the new female, and he wasn't sure if it was good or bad.


	5. Lullaby

**Title: What The Soul Remembers**

**Universe:** Farscape  
  
 **Timeframe:** Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.  
  
 **Story Summary:** Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Resurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.  
  
 **Chapter Summary:** Moya sings the first lullaby she ever sang to her firstborn right after he was born to Tal, which has unforeseen effects.  
  
 **Notes:**  This one took a few tries to get down at the end. Someone may notice Stark isn't around yet. He will be. Patience. ^_~  
  


**Chapter Five: Lullaby**

* * *

 

Four hours, or arns, as she learned hours to be, had passed faster than she imagined. For the last two arns, she had been sitting in their mess hall, learning a ton about them, learning about John's expeditions and adventures, sharing information about her 'manufactured' Starburst, as they had come to call it, and the best part, learning that the ship she was on was alive, and she was called Moya. The name made her smile. It was a beautiful name. It was when she learned this that the structure of the ship suddenly made sense. She managed to learn about the war with the Peacekeepers, how a creature named Scorpius had been trying to exploit Crichton for information on wormholes, and many other things. But she still felt like they were leaving something out. She picked up a small brown thing called a food cube and bit a corner off, looking around. Some of them seemed hesitant for some reason. She raised her eyebrow.

"So. Someone gonna tell me the rest of the story? I can see it written all over your faces." She said, taking another bite. She may have just gotten here, but she wasn't stupid. Aeryn looked at John with a saddened look.

"Maybe we should while Crais isn't here." She offered quietly. Everyone nodded in silent agreement. Tal raised an eyebrow.

"That bad, huh?" She asked softly, grabbing the tall, thin glass with liquid in it. She took a sip, finding the liquid sweet but refreshing. John looked at Aeryn and shrugged at her.

"You were the first on board, you tell it." he said, taking a sip of his own drink. Aeryn looked upset, but sighed and leaned forward, leaning her elbows on the table.

"About three and a half, almost four cycles ago, Moya became pregnant. It was a genetic experiment installed by the Peacekeepers..." she began, everyone settling in to listen to the long story. She went through the pregnancy, the birth, how the child had gotten stuck within Moya because of the genetic mutations which ended up being weapons, how Chiana basically mid-wifed the birth and nearly got blown up because of it. She went on to describe how she helped establish communication between Moya and her newborn son, and how she was given the privilege of naming the child. Aeryn smiled softly at that.

"I named him Talyn." She said, amused at the mild look of surprise on Tal's face. Aeryn chuckled.

"Spelled with a 'y' instead of an 'o', by the way." John piped in, waving his drink at her. He figured it'd be a good idea to distinguish the difference. Tal nodded and looked back at Aeryn.

"Please, continue..." She asked, extremely interested in this part. Aeryn nodded and went ahead, her face showing a myriad of emotions as she explained how Crais had gotten ahold of Talyn, how Talyn had given Crais the Hand of Friendship (which she also learned was more commonly known as a neural transponder), and how, after about a cycle, things started to go downhill. She didn't get into the cybernetic bleedback, though. She felt that was more personal. She left out the Soulbonding as well, on purpose. No need to bring that up, especially since everyone was still rather sore about it. John still made smart remarks to Crais every chance he got, as did Rygel. Sometimes D'Argo would snap at him, but that wasn't often. Aeryn herself tended to stay away from Crais as much as she could. She skipped ahead to the part where Talyn and Crais went into Starburst inside the Command Carrier hanger, describing how they later found Talyn's command center with an unconscious Crais in the wreckage along with some of the rest of Talyn's remains...though there hadn't been much. She talked about the funeral, but left out large portions. Just about how they took him to the Leviathan sacred burial grounds and said a few words.

Tal looked down, wiping a few tears from her eyes. Aeryn was slightly surprised at this, mainly because the girl had never experienced any of this, but for her to still be moved by the overall story, it gave her more insight to human emotion. Tal sniffed and cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure.

"Sorry...I don't get emotional a lot...but that story just kinda hit me, you know?" She flashed a small smile, grabbing her drink and taking another sip, hiding her face behind it. She hated this feeling, being all blubbery in front of people she just met. Aeryn nodded, looking around at the others.

"Its alright. We were all...upset...when Talyn died." She said. Upset was hardly the word, but again, she wasn't about to spill that much. "I personally recommend giving Crais his space." She added, biting into a food cube. "He's been through a lot. Spent three cycles with Talyn on the run from Peacekeepers. Because of the neural transponder, it caused him...considerable pain when Talyn died." She said quietly. Tal nodded, setting her glass down.

"I'll be sure to do so, then." She said, leaning back. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the itch to explore. "He's supposed to be back here soon?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

"Yes, and he'd better found a decent trade planet!" Rygel exclaimed, causing Tal to open her eyes and stare at the little...what was he again? Hynerian. Strange species. D'Argo glowered at Rygel.

"Honestly, can you not spend one day without thinking about material possessions?" He asked, his voice deeper than the rest, almost a growl. Chiana was rolling her eyes and standing up as Jool spoke next, leaning towards Tal.

"Keep an eye on your stuff, huh? That one likes to go rummaging even if you aren't dead." She said, staring at Rygel as if she could shoot daggers through her eyes. Tal raised an eyebrow and a smile appeared on her face.

"Can I break his fingers if he touches my stuff?" She asked, a smirk appearing to replace the smile. Aeryn got a surprised look on her face and looked at John, who got a bright look on his face and slowly turned to Rygel.

"Now why didn't I think of THAT?" He said, tilting his head sharply, glaring and smirking at Rygel pointedly with the last word. Chiana made rounds, collecting empty plates while everyone else bantered on. Tal laughed at that, then realized she actually didn't have much. She frowned a bit, then shrugged it off. She'd see about supplies later. Besides, if this Crais person found a commerce planet, then maybe she could get what passed for essentials around here. Rygel and John began arguing again, while D'Argo and Jool stood up to leave, tired of the annoying banter. Chiana finished her chore for the day of gathering the plates and putting them where they belonged. She still didn't quite trust Tal, and kept giving sidelong glances at the red and black-haired newcomer.

Tal suddenly had a face full of wide eyes and white hair in front of her.

"You SURE you aren't a Peacekeeper spy?" she asked, eyeing Tal carefully. Tal sighed and nodded.

"I don't even know what a Peacekeeper is, except for what Aeryn explained. Never seen one before. ...Well, I suppose I have seen an ex-Peacekeeper..." her voice trailed off, indicating Aeryn. Chiana tilted her head and swayed in front of her, studying her.

"Mmm....alright. But if I catch you sending secret messages or something...bad things will happen. Yeah....bad things." She stated, backing away. Tal raised her eyebrow at Chiana.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, then." Tal said, a light grin on her face. She had a feeling it would take a while for some of them to trust her. Chiana finally moved away and Tal stood up, stretching. She looked around, seeing only Aeryn, John and Rygel arguing amongst themselves now. She looked around the room, and her eyes rested on the door. She felt the itch to explore again, and she quietly snuck out, feeling freedom within the halls of the living ship.

She ran her hands along the scale-like support beams again, admiring the design. It just made so much more sense now. She let her hand fall to her side and began walking slowly, just wandering through the halls. She didn't care where she ended up; she'd have to explore at some point. On the odd occasion as she walked, she'd touch one of the walls, feeling the comforting warmth of it. A song flitted to her mind, called "Story of My Life", playing in her mind's mental jukebox as she walked the halls. It seemed fitting in a strange way. She found her path, in the stars. It was her lifelong dream. But this was far more than she could have ever imagined. At least she was right about one thing. John Crichton was indeed on a huge ship having the time of his life.

She chuckled to herself, continuing walking down the halls, taking turns where she felt the desire, admiring the design, peeking into rooms as she passed, inspecting panels where she found them, and hopping away from the little DRDs as they passed by her. She was still afraid one was gonna poke her again. Eventually she began to hum the song as she walked, the sound echoing softly through the corridors as she walked. She felt like she was in a daze of sorts, feeling as if she were being led somewhere. As her humming continued, the soft, whale-song like sounds echoed with her voice. She paused for a moment, startled. The sound stopped. Tal tilted her head, and tried humming again. The sound started again after a few notes. With a start she realized what it was.

"Are you...singing with me, Moya?" She asked, looking around the walls and ceiling. A higher-pitched gentle sound echoed through the hall where she was. Tal grinned from ear to ear. Being on a living ship was really beyond everything she could have imagined. She started humming again, and then broke into actual lyrics as Moya's soft song echoed with hers. It was the most exhilarating thing she had ever experienced. Apparently Moya liked her. She supposed that was a good thing; she'd rather not have life support cut off in her room tonight, wherever that was. She grinned as she finished that song and started another.

"Alright, lets try this one, Moya." She said, switching to the song she often played when flying. "This one is called, "Touch The Sky". As she hummed out the beginning, she started dancing through the halls, eventually singing the words. Moya's gentle singing rang through the halls, reaching other areas of the ship, causing other crew members to look up curiously.

"Are you serious....? Moya's singing again? The last time I heard her do that was..." John's voice trailed off, and he fell silent. It was right before Talyn died. Moya had sung to her son comfortingly to try to calm him at one point shortly before the whole ordeal. Aeryn slipped her hands around his shoulders and kissed his neck.

"She's happy again. I'm not sure why, but Tal's presence is lifting her spirits somehow." She said quietly, kissing his cheek, trying to distract him. It worked.

Tal half skipped, half danced through the halls, spurred on by hearing Moya's soft sounds through the corridors as she did her best to join Tal in singing. She slipped through a door, stopping in her tracks suddenly as she took in the vast expanse of this darker room. Her singing fell quiet as she took it in, Moya's voice fading after a moment as well. Tal wandered in slowly, keeping an eye on where she was stepping. The floor dropped down around her, leaving only three foot wide pathways to walk. Small lights lit up the pathway so she could see where she was going. She looked up, and blinked. There, in the middle of a huge panel array, was the creature she saw earlier on the holo vidscreen. Pilot, she remembered.

"I seem to have a visitor." He said, fairly cheerfully. "Moya says she is pleased to have you on board. I haven't heard her sing in nearly a hundred solar days." He exclaimed, his head tilting, four arms simultaneously working different panels. Tal stepped forward, completely amazed.

"I didn't know she could sing. She sounds beautiful." Tal said, stepping gingerly up to the huge array that Pilot sat at. She placed a hand along the ribbed front guard, leaning forward slightly, curious.

"She appreciates your compliment." Pilot responded. Tal looked up at Pilot and tilted her own head.

"So, you communicate with her directly?" Tal asked, curious, watching the strange creature in front of her. "Like, telepathy or something?"

"I am physically connected to her. Through that, she shares feelings and thoughts. I am then able to communicate those to the crew." He said, pressing a panel down on one side and raising another on the opposite far side. He looked at her for a moment, curious about the new female. She was smaller than Aeryn, but certainly seemed like she could hold her own. If she was anything like John Crichton, she'd have no problems in tight spots. He watched as she brushed a finger along the organic metal under her hands.

"Its still hard to believe I am inside a living ship...it's amazing..." she whispered. Curiosity got the best of her and she looked up at Pilot, turning to hop up a bit to sit on the flatter surface near the top of the array. It was almost like the webbing between a duck's toes, but certainly supportive.

"So, do these living ships...these...what was it she called them..." Tal wracked her mind for a moment, her thoughts broken by Pilot's answer.

"Leviathans."

"Leviathans. Do they have their own songs?" she asked, leaning on one arm as she looked over the huge panel array. She had no idea how anyone could understand all these panels. They looked confusing, yet in a weird way, it almost seemed to make sense. They turned color, raised, changed colors, Pilot would press them down or raise them himself, flicker various colors in a certain sequence. She was willing to bet if she spent enough time here, she'd be able to learn it.

"Moya does. She used to sing quite a bit." He said, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice. Tal tilted her head, catching on.

"...Talyn...?" she said softly, asking if he was the reason she stopped singing. Pilot nodded his head. "I see..." she bit her lip, and then looked around the wide expanse of the Pilot's Den.

"Moya...your voice was beautiful earlier...can you sing for me again?" She asked, her voice echoing out around the room. Pilot stared at her from behind, not used to people talking to Moya directly. He didn't even get a chance to respond to the question before a soft sound echoed through the chamber, fell silent and then sounds that reminded Tal even more of whale song permeated her mind and body.

She closed her eyes, listening to the mysterious sounds. It sounded wonderful, beautiful, comforting...like a mother singing to her child right after being born.

_A flash of gold crossed her vision. A feeling of confusion, then calm. The singing got louder. Images of a deep blue sea or space all over. Floating rocks. The images began to overlap and play into a movie in her mind's eye as she listened to Moya singing the beautiful song. She almost felt a part of the images. She felt herself turning, a laughter ringing in her mind happily. A blur of gold passed in front as she felt her body spinning lightly. It was peaceful, calm, managing to quell the confusion that bubbled under the surface._

Pilot stared at Tal as she sat on the console, her eyes closed and yet humming the same strange sounds with Moya. Pilot's expressions changed numerous times throughout the whole thing, each one registering confusion.

_Tal felt cold. An instinct to move closer to the gold blur. Warmth. Comfort. The song continued. Together they moved through the floating rocks. She felt strange, though. Different than the gold blurr in front of her. The song calmed her. She felt unconditional love through the song. The blur began to clear, to take shape. Moya. Floating between rocks. Singing. Comforting. She felt herself reach out, touching not with hands, but with something else. Mother. Joy. Happiness. Mother was happy. She moved closer. The shadow on mother was different. Three points instead of one. But the song calmed. Comforted..._

Moya slowly ended the song, ending it on a soft, lilting note. It took a moment for Tal to come out of her trance. She blinked, looking around, seeing Pilot behind her. She remembered the images, but didn't think anything of it. She just smiled and wrapped her hands around her arms.

"That was beautiful, Moya." She sighed happily. "Did you sing to your child when he was born?" she asked Moya directly, forgetting that Pilot was able to translate.

"She said she had in fact done so. The song she just sang was the one that she sang to him right after his birth." Pilot added, tilting his head as if listening to something. "She says she is curious what you saw."

Tal blinked, confused for a moment.

"What I saw?"

"Your eyes were closed. And you were humming with her." Pilot stated, matter-of-factly. Tal raised her eyebrows and looked up, then back down, her cheeks flushing a pale pink. She hadn't realized she had been that transparent...nor did she realize that she had been humming with Moya. She wasn't exactly sure what she had seen, but it felt like a birth...from a baby's point of view. Talyn's birth. Rather ironic considering it was the same song she had sung to Talyn when he was born. She shook her head.

"Colors...feelings...it was a blur. Lots of blue, some gold and feelings of calm and happiness. And new. It felt like the feelings I felt were...new. Like I had never experienced them before." She said, chuckling softly. She saw Pilot tilt his domed head again, then look down at the panels, then back up.

"Moya is happy that she brought such feelings to you. She says the song was intended to be calming." Pilot said, touching a panel and then looking at her. Tal smiled.

"I'm glad I could make her happy. It sounded like she needed it, anyway." She said, unfolding her arms and sliding off the array. A soft hum wound its way through the cavernous room. Tal didn't need Pilot to tell her that it was Moya expressing her gratitude.

"You're welcome, Moya." she said gently, making Pilot raise an eyebrow at her.

"You were able to understand that?" he asked, rather beside himself. Tal shrugged.

"Humans are very empathetic. Especially the female of the species. We pick up on certain tones or words, and we know what a person is feeling. I could tell, after hearing her a few times, what Moya was trying to communicate. In this case, gratitude." She said, shifting her weight to one foot for a moment, a gentle smile on her face. Pilot raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, then recovered from the look, seeming to focus on something suddenly, tapping a panel here and there quickly.

"It appears Crais has returned earlier than anticipated. He's just come aboard." Pilot announced dutifully, having activated the comm system to the others on the ship.

"Understood, thanks for the warning." Crichton came across the comms, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. Tal raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit.

"I take it not many like him...?" She inquired, shifting her weight again, leaning on the array again. Pilot made a grumbling noise.

"He....has tried, I will give that. But ultimately, most of the crew do not share a fondness for Captain Crais." He replied, pressing a panel down as it shifted colors.

"Wha'd he do?" Tal asked, tilting her head slightly as she crossed her arms again, as if settling in for a long story. Pilot shook his head almost instantly.

"That...is not my privilege to share. It is his story to tell and his alone, should he choose to do so. However, it is unlikely he will do so." Pilot answered, sounding both annoyed and sad at the same time. Tal stared at the panel array that Pilot was attending to, her mind wandering, wondering what this guy could have done that was bad enough for the crew to hate him and to keep the reasons under wraps. She finally nodded and pushed away from the array.

"I'll make sure to steer clear of that subject then, when I see him." she said, not wanting to get into an argument with a crew member on her first night in a completely amazing ship on the other side of the galaxy...or universe, for all she knew. Pilot nodded at that.

"Do not be surprised if he is rather crass with you. He is to everyone, especially since Talyn's death." He added gently, knowing the subject of Talyn was still a very sore, open wound to Moya. But the Leviathan understood, and took no mind to the conversation, even if it did hurt a little hearing his name again. Tal nodded.

"I gotcha." She smiled at Pilot. "Thankyou. This...is an amazing place." she said, looking around again before looking back to Pilot. "I think I am gonna go see where I can stay for the night." She said, starting to take a step towards the door when one of the little yellow things came rushing to her. Tal backed up and tried to crawl up on the array again. The sight made Pilot grin.

"They're harmless."

"Yeah, right, tell that to the one that stabbed me." Tal scoffed, staying away from the yellow beetle thing. She looked at Pilot. "What's it called again?"

"Diagnostic Repair Drone. DRD for short." He replied, lifting up a panel and pressing another down. He looked over the edge of the array, seeing the little DRD just sitting there at Tal's feet. "I called for one to show you to your room, if you like."

Tal blinked, then looked at Pilot, then back down at the DRD.

"Not gonna bite me, is it?"

This actually wrung laughter from Pilot.

"No, of course not. The one that stabbed you earlier injected you with Translator microbes. The only other time they may do harm is if they feel threatened, or Moya feels threatened." He stated. Tal stared down at the DRD, then finally slid off the array, watching the little drone back up and squeak at her.

"I remember Crichton mentioning the microbes." she said absently, kneeling down to look at the yellow, eyestalked thing. The little eyeball lights followed her moves, the stalks twitching. She reached out and touched one, and grinned. "Actually, you're kinda cute."

_/Flash of red; armor plating; blue lights; zipping along the floor; stuck on walls; sparks; repairs/_

Tal jerked her hand back, staring at the DRD in a bit of confused shock. What the hell was that? she mused, standing back up, shaking her head slightly. Pilot tilted his head, watching her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worry creeping into his voice. Tal blinked and ran a hand through her fluffy black hair.

"Yeaah...." she said, the word dragging out as she stared at the DRD. She took a deep breath. "I think I'm getting tired...been a pretty...eventful day."

"Agreed. Rest, we can speak more tomorrow if you wish." Pilot said, offering her more company the following day if she wanted. Tal smiled, looking at Pilot.

"Thanks, Pilot." She said, turning around and heading towards the door, the little yellow DRD zipping ahead of her, squeaking here and there, as if saying, "follow me!" She chuckled and followed, right out the door.

Pilot watched her leave, still thinking there was something off about the girl. In a private conversation, Moya agreed, a sense of sadness floating in her voice, though she was still pleased that someone had broken her out of her shell of pain enough to sing again. It pleased Pilot, too...no one had been able to get her to sing again until now. It made it seem as if everything really would be alright.

* * *

  
She followed the DRD through the corridors, her mind wandering. She was curious about Crais; what he looked like, if he was really as stiff as Pilot said, what it was he did. She didn't count on ever finding out that one. But at least she might be able to meet him tomorrow and introduce herself at the very least. She'd met most of the crew already, and she wanted to get to know everyone here. It felt like she was gonna be here for quite a bit of time.

A blur of black and red passed her and she stopped in her tracks, turning to see who that was. The cause of the blur, a man, stopped also, turning around quickly. He stared at her for a moment, studying her. Tal took the moment to study him in return; a neatly shaven goatee, hair pulled back tightly into a wrapped bind that was about six inches long. His skin was of a light tan color, eyes a deep brown that betrayed a hidden past. He had a commanding posture, his garments mainly black with red trim across the chest, neck and sleeves. Leather panels hung down from the sides of his jacket, matching the leather boots he wore. A sneaking suspicion told her she was staring at Crais. After a couple seconds of them studying each other, he finally spoke.

"I don't believe I've seen you before." he stated, not a question, but the underlying question of, 'who are you' was present. Tal smiled politely and held out her hand.

"Captain Talon Grace. I just arrived a few...arns ago. Arrived here just like John did, during a test flight." She said, being as simple with her explanation as she could be. Crais stared at her, something flickering across his face. An emotion of sorts, but he hid it quickly and took her hand.

"Captain Bialar Crais...."

His voice faded out as sudden flashes and words filled Tal's mind with the feeling of static electricity shocking her as their hands touched.

_"...when the right one comes along, I will know..."_   
_/flashes of someone with their back to her; back of neck exposed; nervousness; friendship; an offer accepted /_   
_"... wouldn't know the right one if he came up behind you and bit you on the neck..." /laughter/_   
_/flash of something being stabbed/injected into the back of that someone's neck; pain; connection; merging; welcoming; apology for pain; comfort/_

Tal jerked her hand back again, noticing through a haze of fading images and the echoing retreat of her friend Chris's voice that Crais had jerked back also. She shook her head quickly, and stumbled to recover from the flashes. She chuckled softly, nervously.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to shock you...Static electricity. It can be a bitch." she said. Granted, that's exactly what it felt like, but what she saw was something completely different. She took a deep breath, watching him shake his head and blink in recovery. Had he seen the same thing? Or did he see anything at all? She felt it wise to not ask.

"It's...nice to meet you, Captain." She offered, hoping to look past the strange static shock. He looked at her with a suspicious eye, but something else hovered under the surface of suspicion. She stared into his eyes, as if trying to see what it was. Worry? No...Pain. Fresh pain. Her heart sank a little. Maybe he had seen something.

"Likewise. If you'll excuse me." He said curtly, turning around to walk off, his pace brisk.

He wasn't quite fast enough; Tal's eyes rested on a round scar on the back of his neck, peeking just above the back of his collar, a scar that still looked pink and painful. Surrounding it were regularly spaced tiny scars. She remembered the flash she just had...the thing going into the person's neck had several silver wires extending out from the sides and going into the neck around the central black connector. She swallowed and took a few steps, following him.

"What happened to your neck?" She asked, feeling an overwhelming need to know. He slowed and stopped in his tracks, turning slightly so his side was to her. He looked down, then at her, his eyes warning her to not get too nosy.

"Neural Transponder." It was all he said before he turned around and walked off, leaving Tal to stare at him as he left. _The Hand of Friendship..._ She thought, recalling the earlier conversation with Aeryn and the rest. Watching him walk off only brought up the flashes again, showing her the image of him with his back to her. She frowned. He was the man in that flash? She was brought out of her thoughts temporarily when the DRD that had been leading her had come back and squeaked at her. She glanced down at it, then back up at the now-empty hallway where Crais had walked down. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she turned to slowly follow the drone, her thoughts taking over again.

If the man was Crais...then who was she in that vision?

The answer that the deepest recesses of her mind gave her only served to confuse her more.


	6. Rejection

**Title: What The Soul Remembers**

**Universe:** Farscape

**Timeframe:** Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.  
  
 **Story Summary:** Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Resurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.  
  
 **Chapter Summary:** Crais shows up in the Pilot's Den after a night of restlessness, running into Tal. She tries to explain what's going on, but it sends him over the edge and he flees, thinking it's a cruel joke.  
  
 **Notes:** This one was a harder one to write. This scene was actually written out 3 times into text, and another two times in my mind. I just couldn't decide how to get it to flow smoothly. I think I finally managed to succeed.  
Also, I ended up playing a song called "Awakening" by Christopher Haigh. It's a gentle song, no vocals. But so beautiful and fitting.  
  


**Chapter Six: Rejection  
**

* * *

__

_Everything around her seemed too clear to be a true dream. The reds, blacks and whites, the man -she was certain he was Crais- , the feeling she felt. It felt like everything around her was both moving in slow motion and yet moving faster than she could watch. Almost like it was on fast-forward, but slowing down at key points. One such point she felt an incredible calm and comfort with Crais's energy within hers. It was like he had just walked in a doorway after having been just outside in the entryway. She could feel him wonder if she felt the same thing, and she replied, hearing her own 'voice' come out in blips and varied tones that indicated a positive response. She felt the sudden shock, and a blackout. The scenes shifted again. This one of Crais screaming while she stared on, feeling burning anger, almost hatred for the man. It was a blind rage. The scene shifted again; she was talking to someone else in her mind now, a rather confused but spiritual man. Time felt short; she had to tell everything. Another short shift and Crais was cutting the man from wires that connected him to her. The wires caught her off guard. She heard the man tell Crais that he knew everything, and she felt a deep fear well up in Crais. Another scene shifted, much further. Panic, destruction, lives lost, regret and sadness. A sense of going away. A final shift, Crais telling her to Starburst. An overwhelming panic, then control, and quick thinking. She heard Crais screaming at her. She yelled to his mind that he must live._

_Pain. Incredible, indescribable pain. Then blackness. She felt like she was hurtling through a black void. A pinpoint of light appeared and began to grow bigger. A blue planet with green and white. Earth. An image of ice-blue eyes surrounded by pale yellow irregular dots on blue skin faded in across the image of Earth._

_"Do not question the gift you have been given. It is mine and mine alone to give. I give you my time in this next life. You must live to find your way back. When you return, you shall remember. Tell Moya and Pilot I miss them terribly. Give Stark all of my love. Tell the others I am with them always. Tell Crais...he must believe. Go, Talyn. Live and find your way back...."_

_The gentle, serene voice faded as the eyes faded as well, the image of Earth growing bigger. She suddenly felt like she was falling down a hole towards one specific spot on Earth. Everything blacked out again._

_The next images were her as a girl, growing up and playing with toy spacecraft. A pain was felt in her soul, but as she grew quickly through the images the pain faded to an overwhelming desire to get to space. She watched as her life went on ultra fast-forward to the point where she went on the test flight. As she entered Starburst, her entire life went backwards again right up to the point she was born, and a brilliant flash of light burst in front of her..._

_"Talyn!"_

Tal bolted straight awake, the flash of light having woken her, along with the sudden voice that called to her. It was the same serene voice as before. Her heart pounded as she stared into the darkness of the room she had been given. She clutched her blanket to herself, shaking as her mind went over all the images. It was insane. Her eyes watered up as she stared wide-eyed into the darkness.

"It can't be..." she breathed, her voice hitching. " _I_ can't be..." she shook her head, wiping her face as she struggled to deal with the dream she just had. She reached out, waving her hand over a sensor, the lights coming on. Golds and browns made the room seem very warm and comforting. The organic nature of the room made her heart lurch and she covered her eyes. This was huge. She had a need and desire to tell Pilot, but fear clouded her mind. How would she feel in Moya's position? She uncovered her eyes, staring at the walls. She clenched the blankets more.

"How do I tell them...?" She asked, whispering to the gentle voice that had permeated her dreams. "How do I know this is all real?" She begged, hoping against hope to hear the person's voice again. There was no answer. She buried her face against her knees and clenched her teeth, fighting back the confusion and tears that threatened. It seemed like ever since Moya had sung to her, these images and..memories?...kept coming to her, crossing her mind, playing with her head. But this...this was her entire life...the one she knew, and one she didn't.

_"You have all that you need...."_

The voice whispered lightly in the back of her mind, like a feather tickling her hand. She looked up, swallowing. She needed to talk to Pilot. If they knew who this person was, the one speaking to her, then maybe..just maybe...she would be able to confirm everything. She swung her legs over the edge of the curved bed, slipping her shoes on. She pulled on her flight pants and tank top, wrapping the warm blanket around her. She snuck out into the hallway, which was almost unnervingly quiet. It was still the middle of the night for the crew. Only occasionally could she hear the gentle hum of Moya's systems working.

She was still shaking lightly when she slipped in the door to Pilot's Den. He seemed very at ease. At this time of night, there wasn't much to do. If anything, perhaps he was checking over life support systems to make sure they were running correctly, or checking on Moya's own life systems. She took a few quite steps forward, hesitant, just watching Pilot. Her movement caught his watchful eyes, however.

"Ahh, what brings you here at this hour?" He asked, mildly surprised. Tal walked up slowly to the giant array in front of his panels, and she leaned against it, thinking.

"Curiosity, I guess." she said quietly, her voice betraying her own confusion. Pilot tilted his head, worry clouding over his face.

"What's wrong?"

She bit her lip, then countered with her own question.

"Do you...and Moya, I suppose...believe in life after death?"

Pilot blinked at her, pulling back slightly and tilting his head. What in the world would make her ask something like that?

"Well, I had not given it much thought. I know Peacekeepers do not believe in any such thing as that. However, Moya believes that our souls do go somewhere, she just is not sure where. She chooses to believe this more strongly now than ever...She refuses to believe that Talyn is completely gone. She believes he is still out there somewhere, flying through the stars." He said, giving the longest reply he'd ever given around her. He watched her, noting the slightly amused look on her face after his last statement. He raised an eyebrow at her, absently touching panels as they needed it.

"What about..." she paused, not sure how to ask the next question. "Do...do you know anyone who had ice blue eyes, blue skin and yellow mottling around her eyes?" she asked, almost fearing the answer. She looked at Pilot, studying his features as she asked. The sudden look of extreme recognition exploded across his face and Tal felt her blood run cold.

"That's Zhaan. How do you know of her?" He asked, shocked. His emotions began to stir Moya, who became very interested in the converstation at the mention of Zhaan. Tal looked down, fiddling with the blanket that she had wrapped around her.

"She was in my dream. She...gave me a message." Tal looked up, seeing the shocked look on Pilot's face. "She said...that she misses you terribly, and to give you her love..as well as the others, and Stark. She...gave me a separate message for Crais." she added, stopping there. She heard a soft but happy sound radiate around the room. Moya was happy to hear that someone had made contact with Moya. But something still seemed odd. Pilot relayed this.

"Moya is deeply relieved to hear from Zhaan, even if she is dead-"

"She's _dead_??" Tal exclaimed, suddenly everything clicking into place. She brought her hand up to her face, covering her mouth as her mind spun in circles. There was almost no doubt now. Her dream was a message, a real message, a time capsule of sorts. _Time..._

"Y-yes..." Pilot answered, growing more concerned. Moya was beginning to bombard him with questions. "Tal, what is wrong?"

Tal looked up into Pilot's eyes, a clarity in her own that hadn't been there before.

"I traveled back in time when I came here. That's why Crichton said only five years had passed for him." she said, thinking quickly, forgetting to use the other word for years. Pilot guessed what it meant and let her continue.

"But that's not the important part." She licked her lips, tucking the blanket in more. "I had a dream...a past life dream. And between that life, and my current one, she spoke to me. She said, "'Do not question the gift you have been given. It is mine and mine alone to give. I give you my time in this next life. You must live to find your way back. When you return, you shall remember. Tell Moya and Pilot I miss them terribly. Give Stark all of my love. Tell the others I am with them always. Tell Crais...he must believe. Go, .... Live and find your way back....'" she said slowly, pausing as she omitted the name. She was still scared to admit it herself. She was scared to tell Moya. But the blue-eyed person was confirmed to be real. She couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety over the thought that she was, quite possibly...Talyn's reincarnation.

Pilot's mouth had dropped wide open. Moya had fallen silent. Tal looked up at Pilot, her own face draining in color.

"What...must I believe?"

Tal whirled and Pilot's head jerked up, both meeting Crais's eyes. The images in her mind suddenly flooded her again, and she swallowed.

"Crais...this is...unexpected." Pilot said, attempting to regain composure. Tal looked down, feeling like she was going to turn to ice at how cold she felt.

"I couldn't sleep. Decided on a walk." He said shortly, walking forward. He eyed Tal the whole time with suspicion. "So. What is it that I must believe?" he asked, stopping just in front of her. She raised her eyes to look at his, steeling her soul for what she was about to say. She would have preferred it just been with Moya and Pilot for now, but circumstances now made the entire situation much more...volatile.

"Reincarnation." She stated simply, just staring at him. Crais stared at her, then laughed.

"No such thing. The Peacekeepers drilled that into my head long ago." He said, brushing aside her comment. Tal growled softly.

"Yeah well you aren't one now, are you?" She asked pointedly, earning a warning glare from Crais.

"I would watch what you say."

"Are you??" She reinstated her question, not backing down on this one. Zhaan insisted on this, and it felt overwhelming with each moment that she find a way to tell him. Crais grew agitated and turned slightly, then looked back at her.

"No, I am not. Not that it has anything to do with my beliefs. I stand by them."

"You might wanna rethink your position." she mumbled, looking away from him for a moment, wondering why in the hell she felt so heated over this. Pilot raised an eyebrow at her confrontation with Crais. Moya posed a question to Pilot, a scared, almost hopeful question that Pilot replied with a suggestion that they wait and see what Tal would say. Both fell silent to each other, listening.

"And who are YOU to tell me that?" Crais turned to her and leaned forward, nearly getting in her face. He, above all else, hated having two things happen. His command questioned, and his beliefs questioned. Tal turned back to him and stood up, throwing her blanket on the array. Pilot carefully moved it so it didn't interfere with the panels. He could sense things were going to get ugly....or painful. Or both. Tal got right up against him, barely an inch away, staring right into his eyes, her eyes darting back and forth between his, as if trying to silently tell him. She knew it wouldn't work that way, though. In a way, this was a challenge from the captain. She gritted her teeth and placed her hand on his chest, right in the center.

"Who am I? You tell me, Bialar." She said, earning a look of shock from the captain. He suddenly felt like he couldn't move. "You think my name is a coincidence? How about the fact that I know that Stark told you that he knew. I know what... _Talyn's_ ...last words to you were. I know...about _this..._." she said, pressing her hand further against his chest with that last word, talking about the Soulbond. This wasn't how she wanted to bring it all up. But he had a strong nature, and two strong forces either collided, or were bounced apart. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, fear welling up inside her. She felt like she was going to panic, but she fought hard, intent on showing Crais who she was finally accepting that she was.

Crais's eyes went wide and all the color drained from his face. He stepped back, his head tilting back slightly.

"That's not possible." He said simply, his voice cracking. Tal lowered her hand back down to her side, still staring at him.

"Yes, it is."

Anger crossed Crais's face, along with pain. He looked like he was about to tear something apart. The image scared her, but she had to trust he wouldn't do something to her. She took a step towards him, and he backed up again.

"No. You stay away from me. I knew this crew disliked me but this is by FAR...the WORST sort of torture that you all could come up with!" He yelled, pointing one finger down towards the ground as he looked at Pilot with anger and pain chasing each other on his strong features. Tal shook her head.

"It's not a joke, Crais-"

"Just....stop!" He said, raising his hands, palm outward, as if trying to stop the onslaught of pain that was no doubt barreling into him. He shook his head and walked past her, his shoulder hitting hers on the way in an angry gesture. Tal bit her lip and tried one more thought, a last ditch effort to prove everything she said.

"'You have to live, Crais!'" she said without turning around, speaking the last words ever spoken by his ship. Crais stopped in his tracks, half turning to face her, his visible emotions now displaying fear and confusion. His deep brown eyes tried to register what he just heard, his breath escaping in a staggered noise. He turned away slowly, his wide, fearful eyes never leaving her until he turned far enough around and continued out the door. After a few seconds, Tal fell to her knees, feeling mentally depleted and worn out. But what was worse, is she felt that deep pain in her chest once again. Like someone had ripped a hole in it. She knew now what it was. Crais had been Soulbonded to his ship, even though by accident...and she, according to everything she had seen, was that ship's reincarnation. Meaning...

Her and Crais were Soulbonded. Still.

Her mind was a foggy haze of doubt, confusion, fear, worry and sadness as she sat on her knees on the walkway in front of Pilot's panel array. Pilot himself sat there completely stunned at the turn of events. Even Moya was completely silent. Tal felt the creeping feeling up her neck of being stared at, and she hung her head a bit, her nails digging into her knees.

"I'm sorry, Pilot...Moya...I didn't want to tell you this way." she said softly, not turning around. She closed her eyes, awaiting the additional rejection she feared to get. Instead, a very soft, gentle humming noise slowly began to echo through the cavernous room, the tone beginning to change, turning into a soft song. Moya was singing to her. It was acceptance in the purest form. Something broke inside of her, overwhelming her with the intense mix of emotions, and she cried out loud as she bent over her knees, hugging them. Hot tears fell to the walkway as her body shook. Several DRDs rolled up to her, surrounding her and prodding her gently with their lit eyestalks, trying to comfort her. Pilot watched on, a strange sort of sadness crossing his features, unable to move to her to comfort her in any other way. Tal felt both their presences in the little drones. The feeling was indescribable. Intense pain, fear and sorrow, coupled with acceptance and love. She knew it was all true. Deep down in the depths of her soul, she knew who she was finally. After twenty four years of following what she thought was just a thrill chase, she knew who she was and why she did everything she did. Her entire life was lived off of Zhaan's words, and she didn't even know it.

Her choice of name.  
The desire to fly and be free.  
The need to get out to space.  
The knowledge of Starburst.  
The feeling of knowing her Soulmate was nowhere on Earth.  
The choice of her favorite colors.   
Her hair design.

It was all there. All the signs. It all matched up. Everything in her life added up to this. She lifted herself up slightly, wiping her eyes as Moya sang softly, comfortingly. She reached out and touched one of the DRDs gently. "Th-thanks..." she said, her voice catching. After a few moments, she managed to sit up more, crossing her legs indian-style as the DRDs just chirped around her, still trying to be a comforting presence.

"He will never believe me, will he?" She asked no one in particular.

"...Give him time. He was still dealing with..." Pilot paused, not sure how to word it anymore. "...your...Talyn's...death..." he finally said. It was hard to believe. But it made sense. And Moya had accepted it. The things that Tal had said, the way she said it, and showing she knew of the Soulbond without anyone having told her was proof enough.

Outside the door, Crais was leaning against a wall, his hand on his chest, his eyes closed. He swallowed, trying to not make any sounds. He heard Tal ask her question, and it felt like it ripped straight through the center of his being. If they believed him gone, why did they continue this charade? Unless the girl was playing them all.

Except he didn't feel like she was, and that's what bothered him the most.


	7. Hand of Friendship

**Title: What The Soul Remembers**

**Universe:** Farscape  
  
 **Timeframe:** Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.  
  
 **Story Summary:** Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Resurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.  
  
 **Chapter Summary:** After learning about Talyn's resurrection, Crichton gives Crais a rude awakening.  
  
 **Notes:** 1) I felt like I stumbled around in this one. I hope I got everyone's personalities down well enough ^^; . Do keep in mind that if anything in Season 4 or the Peacekeeper Wars conflicts with anything in this entire story, I apologize. One, it's an AU. Two, I haven't seen them yet, but I will be soon. 2) The name of this was previously "One Small Step", but I kept mentally hearing the words "for man, one giant leap for mankind" after it. I just couldn't deal with it XD 'Hand of Friendship' ended up fitting a hell of a lot better. Do enjoy!

**Chapter Seven: Hand of Friendship**   


* * *

 

  
It took all of Tal's strength to finally roll out of bed and stand up, grabbing her clothing from the chair where she had thrown them. She was exhausted from the night of little sleep. She walked across her room, nothing on but a pair of underwear. Her black hair puffed out on all sides, the longer strands hanging just past her left shoulder. She stopped in front of a mirror, laying her clothes over the back of a chair as she turned around to look at her back. The tattoos she had gotten two months prior to the test flight had healed very well. Gently curving black lines, tinted with red, waved across her back, mirroring themselves when they touched her spine. Some were intertwined, others followed the contours of those next to them. She knew what they were now that she had figured out what she was. The lines were the same ones that had been on her Leviathan incarnation. It was strange how she had come to wanting them. She remembered fleeting images from a strange dream, and all she could remember was the lines. When she woke, she felt an indescribable need to have them tattooed. She drew them out on paper several times before being satisfied with the design, then went to a well known tattoo shop and spent two hours in pain which she suffered through. Once it was done, she felt a strange relief as she looked at the beautiful, fresh lines across her back. Now she reached a hand up, her fingers trailing a few of the lines that gently curved over her shoulders and partway down her upper arms. She felt a strange sense of peace wash over her as she followed the lines across her skin. It was strange, how everything fell into place, how everything lead up to this point. She was no longer the ship that everyone was familiar with. She was no longer male. She was different, but yet the same. Her experiences as a human for twenty-four years had changed and smoothed out the volatile personality that she originally had as a Leviathan-Gunship hybrid.

She faced the mirror again and closed her eyes, carefully imagining energy flowing through each of those lines across her back. In her mind, the lines glowed softly at first, then radiated brilliant gold light. She could almost feel the energy coursing through her spine and radiating outward along each of the lines. In her mind's eye, where the tattoos stopped, the energy continued across her body, forming more lines that were perfectly symmetrical. She tilted her head up slightly, feeling the energy flow up across her neck, cheeks and forehead. It almost felt like a tickling of static electricity across her skin. Her outward appearance didn't change at all, but the energy in her mind and body shown across the mental image of herself in brilliant gold light. It was a beautiful sight, and she smiled to herself, mentally reducing the energy and allowing the light to dissipate.

She heard a slight sound from outside her door and she grabbed her shirt as she turned to face the door, holding her shirt up to her chest quickly. What greeted her was the gaze of pained brown eyes. Crais had been walking through, heading for the galley and had glimpsed her through the door as she mentally focused, and he couldn't help but stop and stare at the tattoos on her back. Though he was far enough away he could barely make them out, he knew those lines inside and out. Admittingly, though, his gaze did wander as curiosity took over. The fact she was standing in front of a mirror that revealed more than what Tal thought didn't help matters. It was when he shifted slightly that he caught her attention. He glanced down quickly, his face flushing with both embarrassment and anger at himself for being caught. He quickly took off down the hall, not anxious in the least to hear her say anything. Tal stared after him, her eyes wide. Her own cheeks had burned a bright red as he left. If it had been anyone else, she probably would have yelled at them and thrown something at the door. But it was the pain in his eyes and the sudden strange feeling of...hopefulness...that stopped her. Deep down, she wanted to talk to him. To help him understand what had happened to her. To explain that his beliefs on an afterlife were not right. But even with that desire, she remembered his words to her in the early morning. His words of fear and anger, telling her to stay away. And she would, as much as it hurt. She knew that not only had someone he cared about come back in a different form, but that his beliefs were being challenged horrendously by her mere presence. She knew that a challenge of beliefs was a hard thing to work through.

She sighed after a moment, slipping on her white tanktop. Mildly she wondered what the crew did for cleaning clothing. She mentally shrugged; she'd ask someone after the meeting that was to happen soon. Moya and Pilot had called for everyone to gather in the Den at a certain time. The three of them had agreed it was best to let everyone know of the situation as quickly as possible. She walked back over to her mirror, grabbing her flight jumpsuit and slipping it on to her waist, rolling the torso section up and tying the arms around her waist. She ran her fingers through her hair, working out the kinks and smoothing out the strands. She paused as her fingers filtered through the red streak. She rubbed a few strands between her fingers, her mind wandering again to the past life memories she had. All the reds and blacks within her ship form...the red and black sleekness of her Leviathan body...the red streak was left over from her past. Her past as a Leviathan. A Hybrid. Part Peacekeeper. She let her hand drop and stared at herself in the mirror, hazel eyes staring back at her. In a strange way, she didn't recognize herself, yet she knew every line and contour of her face and body. The Leviathan tattoo lines peeked out from under her tanktop, gently winding their way halfway down her upper arms. She knew the others would see them. She didn't mind now. They would know soon enough.

She squared her shoulders, allowing her military training to take hold. It was time.

* * *

 

She waited in Pilot's Den for the others, her fingers trailing gently over the gold-browns of the ribbed array around the control panels that surrounded Pilot. She was deep in thought, and Pilot could sense it. He wasn't sure how to comfort her, but he reached out, placing a pointed, clawed hand on her shoulder. It was warmer and softer than she thought. She smiled up at Pilot.

"I am sure everything will be fine, Tal." He said, attempting to be encouraging. She nodded in return.

"Possibly. Not everyone takes reincarnation the same..." She said, reaching up to rest a hand on Pilot's hand. "You know what...call me Talyn," she said, deciding to go with her original name. It helped that her human name had a one-letter difference and they sounded almost alike, depending on how the 'o' and 'y' were pronounced. "If it doesn't pain you and Moya too much, that is..." she added quickly, realizing that having them do so could upset the two. She was relieved when Pilot shook his head, his pointed hand retreating back to the console.

"Moya says it would please her more than anything. She says she feels like she has gotten a part of her back, even if in a different form. And a different gender." he added, gentle amusement riding in his voice. Talyn stared at him, raising an eyebrow. She heard that amusement.

"Pilot...." she started, her voice a warning tone. "What are you implying...?"

The look on Pilot's face went from general interest to one of shock and embarrassment. "Implying? I implied nothing! I was simply stating a fact. It is interesting that reincarnation does not remain specific to a certain gender."

Talyn couldn't help but snicker...the first time in several arns. Oh how she needed that laugh. She swore left and right that Pilot's skin tone changed to a darker purple instead of the bluish grey that his skin normally was. Was that an embarrassed blush? She chuckled more, and an lighter rumble rolled through Moya. Yes, that was her, laughing as well.

"Moya, that is hardly fair!" Pilot said, aghast. "I was NOT implying that! Nor will I mention it!" He grumbled, staring at his console and looking highly interested in the minute lines and decoration on each panel. Somehow, Talyn had an idea of what was being discussed and her own cheeks turned red as the memory of Crais staring at her earlier surfaced. She shoved the images out of her head as quickly as possible.

"So, what's with the party, huh, Pilot?" Crichton's voice resounded through the room as he entered, followed by the rest of the gang. Chiana and Rygel were arguing about something, Jool looked uninterested, D'Argo looked ready to kick someone's teeth in and Aeryn seemed far more relaxed than she did the previous day. John led the pack, stopping just before Talyn, who turned around and faced them all.

"Actually...it wasn't just Pilot." She said, reaching up and brushing the long side of her hair behind her ear. Her tattoos were easily viewable from her arms; Chiana had stopped her arguing and was staring at the simple yet elegant lines. Aeryn had noticed, too. She was fighting the urge to walk up and take a closer look. John raised an eyebrow and looked between Pilot and Tal.

"So.....?" he asked, wondering if she'd say who all brought them here. Tal nodded and stood tall in front of them.

"It was not only Pilot, but Moya...and myself." She started, turning around to Pilot, then glancing upwards, as if hoping the two of them would help her through this. A soft, low hum echoed through the Den, causing everyone to look around. Even though they knew Moya's sounds, each time she actually made some sort of noise was a gift; her voice, her sounds were beautiful.

"I have a question for all of you. I asked Pilot and Moya this last night. Each person is different, and in such, their beliefs are, too. My question is simple. Do you believe in life after death?" She asked gently, looking at all of them each in turn. She watched as all of them stared at her dumbfoundedly.

"Just what kind of frelling question is that?" Rygel asked, sounding offended. "Everyone knows there is life after death. I think the only ones fahrbot enough to not believe it are the Peacekeepers." He said, waving a hand about as he hovered in his little throne. Aeryn shifted uneasily. It had been pounded into her head, too, that there was nothing after death. No life, no rebirth, just....gone. Ever since she had left the Peacekeepers, a part of her clung to those beliefs because it was all she had left to believe. But since meeting Zhaan, becoming friends, and eventually watching her die...it was all Aeryn could do to go against her beliefs and believe, for Zhaan, that there was something more after death.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Even though each had their own belief system specific to their race, each of their cultures had experienced some sort of proof of a life after death, or a reincarnation. John said nothing; both him and Tal had come from the same planet, where at least half, if not more, believed in some form of afterlife.

Tal nodded.

"On Earth, we have many cultures. But I've yet to know of any that don't believe in it."

D'Argo shifted and grumbled, growing impatient.

"What does this have to do with anything? Get to the point already." He said, crossing his arms, annoyed. They had only known this girl for just over twenty-four arns and already she was calling spiritual meetings with the aid of Pilot and Moya? It was annoying, if not unnerving.

Talyn absently reached up, brushing her fingers against the tattoos on her left arm. Aeryn raised an eyebrow at this. Something tickled in the back of her mind, telling her something was far out of place here. Something was not as it seemed. She shifted a hand, letting it rest closer to her holster.

The sound of a man yelling through the halls caught all their attention. John rolled his eyes and turned around as the yelling got louder.  
  
"Well, guess who's back finally." he said, exasperated.

"PILOT!! PIIIILOOOOT!!!! Something has happened! PILOT!" The sounds of leathered feet smacking against Moya's floors grew louder. Talyn tilted her head, an eyebrow raising. She recognized the voice, a slight grin coming to her face. Pilot raised his head in alarm, confused and worried. Moya shared an equal sense of worry, compounding the emotion in Pilot.

"PILOT! MOYA!!! We need to go back! We need to--" the yelling man ran around the corner and through the door, the low light glinting off of his metal face mask that was bound to half of his face by leather straps around his head and neck. His brown leather coat billowed behind him as he ran into the room, his one crazy eye landing on Talyn. His half-faced expression became full-force shock as he skidded to a stop, losing balance and fell backwards, one hand flying up in the air and the other behind him as he tried to catch his balance. He came within a couple inches of falling off of the walkway into the abyss below. He stared at Tal, one hand reaching out and pointing at her.

"Y-y...you..." he gasped, his wide eye never leaving her. "T....T...Ta...." he fumbled for the name, unable to complete the one simple word out of pure shock. Talyn couldn't help but smile at his crazy antics. Well, if there was one way to blow the lid off of her revelation, this was probably one of the most amusing ways. She stepped up to Stark and knelt down in front of him, a gentle smile on her face. Stark's one eye danced across her face and body, as if quadruple-checking to make sure it really was who he was seeing. It wasn't the physical form he was staring at; it was her aura. Her soul. Her energy. He retracted his hand back to his chest as he leaned back slightly as she knelt down in front of him, his fingers then reaching up to touch his lips in shock.

"Hi, Stark." She said, chuckling softly. Of all the people she expected to recognize her, it was Stark. With his unique abilities, it was easy for him to read soul signatures. Her own was the same as it was before. Her personality was just a little different. She ignored the looks of surprise on the other's faces. Stark reached out slowly and touched her face, jerking back for a moment, and then reaching out and touching her shoulder, staring at the intricate curving lines that graced her skin.

"You...you're back..." he exclaimed, both hands now reaching out and grabbing her face as he stared at her. Talyn laughed and placed her hands on his.

"Yeah....yeah I am back." She chuckled. "Still a bit out of your mind, aren't you?" She asked. The last time that she remembered him, he had connected to her when she was a Leviathan. He had found the Pilot's Den and on instinct cables attached and they were bonded for a short time. She, or he, back then, felt Stark's insanity while sharing the insanity of the Soulbond between her and Crais. Stark nodded briefly, then shook his head almost instantly.

"Nono, I am perfectly fine!" He insisted, staring at her, his expression growing serious. Confused looks were being exchanged behind Talyn as the conversation began to turn into one that the girl in front of them should not know...at ALL.

"Does Crais know?" Stark asked, his one eye darting between both of hers. She sighed softly and gently pulled his hands from her face.

"Yes...but he refuses to believe." She said, being instantly reminded of the message she was to deliver. "By the way, that reminds me...Zhaan. She told me to give you all of her love. She...won't be returning to life until...her next time comes around." Tal said, watching Stark for a moment. She looked back at the others and smiled softly. "She said to tell you all that she missed you, and she is with you always."

Five sets of mouths dropped open. Jool remembered when she had met Zhaan, though briefly. She had been dying, and gave herself in a self-sacrifice to save Moya and the rest of the crew. Even though Zhaan didn't like her, Jool found herself even just remotely sad when the Delvian saved them all with her sacrifice. To hear that this new girl in front of them had heard from her, brought those brief memories back.

"Zhaan?" Asked John, a bit surprised and confused. Tal nodded, turning back to Stark. "Between my last life and this one...she came to me. Gave me the message to forward to you all...when I found my way back." She said, explaining it to all of them. John looked like he was ready to ask more questions, shifting and placing a hand on one side of his hips, the other reaching to point to Talyn. He was stopped before he could even ask.

"Zhaan...she gave her next time up, didn't she?" Stark asked, his eye watering. Tal only nodded softly. When Stark glanced down, she reached over and gently grabbed his chin, lifting his face up.

"She said it was her gift and her gift alone to give. She...wanted me to have another chance. I..." she paused for a moment, half glancing to the others behind her, and then back to Stark. She took a deep breath. Now or never. "I was Soulbonded, Stark...with no way of ever experiencing what it truly meant. Soulbonded way...WAY too early. You knew that. Crais...obviously knew. Zhaan must have found out somehow when she died." She said softly, licking her now-dry lips.

"I remember..." Stark said, his eye wide as he stared at her, recalling when he was bonded to Leviathan-Talyn in the Pilot's Den, remembering all the emotions, images and fears that Talyn had shown him.

It hit Aeryn first, and hit her hard. Her face went wide with shock, her eyes watering as she covered her mouth with a hand for a moment. When she had enough strength to speak, she asked.

"....T....Talyn...?" she hesitantly inquired, unable to believe it. Tal smiled while still looking at Stark, and then stood. She nodded gently as she turned around to face the others. She took another deep breath. Everyone looked at Aeryn with the most deranged looks on their faces. John glanced between Talyn and Aeryn and finally shook his head.

"Naaahhh...." John exclaimed slowly, not believing a word.

"Yeah." she said, answering both in one word, steeling herself for the inevitable, 'no way in hell' from everyone. A soft but happy sound circled its way around the cavernous Den, making everyone look up. It was Moya's way of saying that she knew already, and knew it to be true. Aeryn looked back at Pilot as if asking for confirmation. Pilot nodded. It was all Aeryn needed. She walked up, pausing just in front of Talyn, studying her closely. After a moment, a tear rolled down Aeryn's face.

"You're right....I can see it..." she whispered, and wrapped her arms around Talyn, pulling her into a tight hug. Tal was surprised at first, and then hugged Aeryn back gently. After a moment the two let go of each other, Aeryn stepping back and wiping her cheeks dry. Talyn glanced at the others who looked far more skeptical.

"How do we know this isn't just some joke?" D'Argo asked, his lack of amusement plainly heard. Talyn sighed as she sensed Stark standing behind her.  
"I guess you don't. You can ask me what you want; my memories are still fragmented...but I will answer what I can, if that eases your distrust." She said, looking D'Argo right in the eyes. She was determined to prove it.

"If you're really Talyn...what did I say when I tried to help you when you got stuck in Moya?" Chiana asked, stepping up to Talyn, her head ticking to one side as she studied the woman in front of her. She didn't believe it, either. Tal sighed a moment, closing her eyes, trying to recall the memory. It was such an early memory.

"That...is still..." she paused, then chuckled. "'Baby-Moya'...you asked me not to shoot you...and to stay nice and calm..." she smiled, opening her eyes again, watching Chiana's expression change from suspicion to shock and disbelief. She backed up, looking at the others and nodding just slightly, earning more looks of shock. Chiana had chosen that particular point in time because it was only her, Rygel and Pilot that were present for Talyn's birth, and it was something special to Chiana. Rygel only confirmed what Tal said.

"She speaks the truth...the comms were open the entire time...that is what Chiana had said." Rygel said solemnly, staring at Talyn. Stark reached out and placed a hand on Talyn's shoulder.

"What about Crais...?" he asked, concern showing in his voice. Talyn looked back at Stark and shook her head, shrugging softly.

"He told me to stay away from him."

A sudden movement from Crichton had them all looking at him as he slid past them all, heading for the door. His steps were heavy and purposeful.

"John, where-" Aeryn started, only to be cut off by John waving his hand in the air as he walked down the path.

"Don't worry, I got this. Just gonna...talk some sense into our wonderful Captain Crunch." He yelled out, slipping through the door. Aeryn debated chasing after John, but figured it might be best to let the two men argue it out. Tal hung her head slightly, a hand covering her eyes. She could sense bad things about to happen.

"This can't end well..."

* * *

 

Crais yelped when a sudden pain lanced across the back of his head. He leaned forward in pain, reaching up to rest his hand on the back of his head. The peaceful time of reading had been interrupted in the most rude way. He looked around, seeing Crichton standing behind him with a mildly amused look mixed with annoyance.

"Are you mad, Crichton!?" he demanded, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Are you an idiot?" John replied calmly. Crais stopped, not having expected that question shot back at him.

"What are you talking about?"

Crichton rolled his eyes.

"You really ARE an idiot." He smacked Crais upside the head again. Crais whirled and threatened to beat John to a pulp with his book. John danced away a few feet, swinging his arms around.

"Hey, hey, come on now, you deserve that." he said, regaining his balance a few feet away from Crais. "You do know there was a meeting right? You missed it."

Crais glowered at Crichton and turned around, walking to a table and setting his book down.

"I know full well there was a meeting. I chose not to go." He said flatly. John shifted and put his hands on his hips in an annoyed fashion.

"Why?"

Crais spun around and stared at John.

"Why the interrogation, Crichton? I have no need, desire or obligation to be at that meeting. I already know what it was about, I didn't need to listen to the insanity again." He growled out, turning back around. It was a silent way of saying, 'I'm done, get out.' But John had other ideas.

"Insanity? You wanna know what's insane, Crais? For one, you were Soulbonded to a frelling _SHIP_ ," he started, making Crais whirl around and start for him. Crais had full intentions to just start wailing on John. John held a hand up, pointing at Crais and walking backwards. "No, you _listen_ , Grouchy. You were Soulbonded to a ship. A living ship. That ship gets reincarnated to a living human, one of my OWN species, and here YOU are running away because of your stupid Peacekeeper beliefs that there's nothing after life. Nothing! What about Zhaan? Did you know she gave her reincarnation up so Talyn could come back? So Talyn could have a second chance? Did you know that? No, of course not, you were too busy sticking your head in a book and ignoring what's right in front of you!" Crichton said, throwing his arms around as he moved backwards around the room with Crais following him. Anger had Crais seeing red and wanting blood.

"And just what the frell is that, Crichton? Your answer better be good or I swear there will be nothing left of you but a red mark on the wall!" He yelled, his face contorted with anger, but his eyes betrayed the pain in his soul. Crichton stopped. That was it. He let Crais get close before he let his own fist fly, clocking Crais in the jaw and sending him reeling, sprawling on the floor. John shook his hand, wincing.

"Your Soulmate, you moron." he answered simply, glaring at Crais. He raised his hand and pointed out the door in the general direction of the Pilot's den. "The look on her face when she said you told her to stay away from her..." he looked around the room, then back down at the man below him, who leaned on one elbow for support as he reeled from the shock of being nearly knocked out. He glared up at John with dark, angry and hurt eyes. "You broke her heart, Crais." he said, lowering his hand before he finally walked past the downed man, ignoring the pain as it throbbed in his hand. "Good job."

"I don't interfere with your personal life, don't presume to do it to mine." Crais warned from the floor, the look on his face a darkening one. Crichton stopped, not even looking back at Crais.

"Just call it a wake-up call." He said, walking out the door finally. His boots echoed down the hall, slowly quieting to nothing.

Crais sat up slowly after a moment, reaching up to wipe a small dribble of blood that escaped from the corner of his mouth. The pain that throbbed through his jaw only added to the additional well of pain that roiled deep inside of him. He had been humiliated, but what was worse, Crichton was right. And it burned Crais up inside knowing that.

  
\---  
Over five arns had passed since she, with the inadvertent help of Stark, revealed what had happened. She now sat on Moya's observation deck, watching the stars slowly pass by. It calmed her to be up here, and in a way it reminded her of flying through the stars like she had done previously. Her mind flitted between old memories and newer ones. Painful ones and good ones. Ones that made her well up in tears, others that made her feel anger and sorrow. She took a deep breath after spending over three arns reviewing the memories left to her. Even now, new ones were filtering in, bringing depth to who she was before. One of the memories she focused on was the last moments of her life as a Leviathan.

Her cannons disabled, no way to use anything Peacekeeper-related...it was almost as if that half of her had been shut down. She reached deeper into the memory, realizing she had felt most at peace in the moments before her death as a Leviathan. The brutal side of her was silent. In that moment, she wasn't a hybrid, she was a Leviathan. Deeper still into the memory, she felt Crais's soul. It was pained, fractured, but strong. And she felt the comfort and calming that Crais felt when their souls were this close. She closed her eyes, focusing on that feeling. She searched deeper along that connection, hoping she would find what she was looking for. She felt as if she fell into an ocean of water, slipping through rays of light that moved with the water's natural motion. She reached further down, feeling something on her heart tug.

A small, brilliant pinpoint of light began to glitter from far down in the darkening water, and she felt an incredible warmth coming from it. Her eyes watered. This was it. Through all the fear, anger and everything else that they had been through as Captain and Leviathan, Crais had still managed to cultivate a carefully hidden love for Talyn. He had cared about the ship more than he had ever let on. He was willing to die to keep Talyn safe. She felt herself reach out, nearly touching the gently pulsing orb of brilliant, warm light. Her soul felt a shock of saddened pain mixed with regret. Finding this...and realizing how she had treated him back then...she didn't deserve a second chance. She pulled back from the white light, watching it fade into the darkness again, pulling herself up and out of the waters that hid Crais's deepest feelings. She opened her eyes, staring out at the wide expanse of stars, a single tear rolling down her cheek. While she felt like she didn't deserve a second chance, Zhaan had apparently thought she did, and gave her time in her next life to Talyn. She vowed mentally to honor Zhaan's wish as best as whatever future circumstances would allow.

As she watched the stars floating by, she wondered how many others out there felt a Soulbond. She wondered, briefly, if a Soulbond actually was meant to break after death of the two participants. Souls continued on...so wouldn't they remain bonded indefinitely? Something deep down made her feel like she wouldn't mind that.

"Pilot told me you were up here." A gentle but strong voice spoke, calm and far more collected than the last time she heard that voice. She glanced back, her heart suddenly pounding. She wiped her eyes and stared back out at the stars.

"Yeah...just needed time to myself. Been here for about five arns." She said softly. Crais smiled gently, then walked a few steps toward her and sat down next to her on her left. He held out a small container; it had some water in it. She looked at it, then took it gently.  
  
"Thankyou..." she said, slightly unsure. Part of her worried that he might snap at her again. But something told her this wasn't the case. She opened the container and took a small drink. She replaced the cap and stared back out into the stars again. The silence was there for a while before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry."

Talyn glanced up at him in surprise.

"For what?"

"Everything." He said gently. "Yelling at you last night...my trying to control you...the Soulbond..."he paused a moment, then continued, "for...waiting this long to come find you." he said, almost whispering. "Crichton has a...very persuasive personality." He added, reaching up and touching the corner of his mouth, where a light bruise was forming. Talyn swallowed, smiling a bit at the last comment, but not sure how to reply to his apology. She felt like any words that she had wouldn't be enough. She looked at him for a moment, watching as he turned to look at her, his gaze steady and extremely apologetic. His eyes seemed clearer now, no longer full of pain. But there was fear and worry. Her eyes darted between his for a good moment before she glanced back down, her heart feeling like it was going to explode. She felt him turn back to the stars. After a moment, she leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay." She said simply, forgiving him. In that moment, she felt peace flow into her mind, heart and soul. Crais felt like a wall had just exploded between them the moment she leaned against him. It sent his mind spiraling and believing that maybe, just maybe...things would be alright.

"Do you...believe me?" She asked softly after a moment. There was a few microts of silence, and each one made her heart sink.

"I never doubted you, Talyn." He said finally and quietly, speaking the truth. "I only doubted myself." Deep down, from the moment she revealed it to him, he knew it was true. He knew it the moment their hands touched that first time. He just didn't want to believe it. So far had the beliefs of the Peacekeepers been ingrained in him that it was incredibly hard to believe. He had been scared to admit it to himself that he knew the truth. But now...she was right. He was no longer a Peacekeeper...and she was living proof of life beyond death.

Talyn felt as if those words buried themselves straight into her heart and soul, and her eyes filled with tears again. Damn was it hard to control emotions around this man. She reached up, gently grasping his shoulder as she leaned against him more, fighting against the tears of happiness and relief that threatened to fall. She suddenly felt a strong, comforting arm slip around her, pulling her closer into a gentle, simple embrace, though it felt like so much more to her. The fears she had felt seemed to be melting away. She wanted to tell him thankyou, but the words caught in her throat and she just stayed silent. She figured her reaction was enough as he turned his head and rested his chin on top of her head for a moment, then burying his face against the right side of her temple, strands of her hair tickling his skin.  
  
The feel of him this close, this comforting made her feel more at peace than she had ever remembered feeling. If she was in a dream, if she had actually fallen asleep on the floor of Moya's observation deck....let her never wake. Let her stay at peace like this forever. She gripped his shoulder a little tighter as those thoughts crossed her mind. Crais moved his head and looked down at her, then leaned his head against hers. He somehow felt the small fear that she was dreaming. He rubbed her back gently, as if trying to both console and prove that he was, in fact, there and real.

Silence fell upon them for a while as they stayed together like that. But Crais had one more thing to offer. In the midst of their comfortable silence, he reached his left hand over to Talyn, palm up, resting it on his knee. He tilted his head slightly, looking at her as best he could with the angle they were sitting.

"Friends?" he asked, hopefulness sprinkled with light amusement hovering in his voice. A gentle smile graced his face as he asked. Talyn glanced down, staring at his hand before the irony of the Hand of Friendship struck her and she laughed gently, a smile spreading across her face. She let go of his shoulder and hovered her hand above his, then gently touched his fingers with hers for just a moment. It felt like the weirdest yet most complete gesture, their fingertips touching. She could feel their energy sparking between their fingers. She finally rested her hand in his, palm to palm, fingers intertwining with his gently.

"Friends." she agreed, feeling like the empty part of her soul was beginning to heal again. Crais leaned his head against hers again, staring out at the stars. Calm took over both of them, and they sat there for several more arns, not needing to say anything to each other.

Together again, amongst the stars. It was only the beginning.


	8. Leylines

**Title: What The Soul Remembers**

**Universe:** Farscape  
 **Timeframe:** Begins in "Into The Lion's Den: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Splits off to an AU at the moment of Talyn's final Starburst.  
 **Story Summary:** Peacekeepers don't believe in an Afterlife or Resurrection. But when a 24 year old fighter pilot pulls off another wormhole from Earth and ends up in the past just after Talyn's death, Crais begins to think he should re-evaluate those ideals.  
 **Chapter Summary:** Crais and Talyn get a moment alone after nearly a week.

 **Notes:** This one is gonna be a bit shorter. Its a small scene with mainly Crais and Talyn as they begin to connect a bit more. At first I was hesitant to post this only 8 chapters in...but I had some encouragement. Please do enjoy. ^_^ Find some heartfelt music you like and play while reading.

**Chapter Eight: Leylines**   


* * *

Nearly a week had passed since Talyn's revelation of her reincarnation. Several of the crew were still wary, but with each turn and each question she managed to answer correctly and prove who she was. Crais had given her whatever space she wanted, and often took time to himself as well. Talyn could feel a tugging on her soul whenever he wasn't around, however. In many ways it drove her nuts, made her want to be near him. She often thought back to the night where they sat on the Observation Deck for several arns without even saying a single word. It was just calm, peacefulness, happiness and relief. She felt that she would treasure that night for the rest of her natural life. It was the uncertainty and awkwardness that kept them apart for the most part since that night.

Aeryn had lent her a pair of workout shorts and a workout top that allowed for a bare stomach, arms and legs. Both pieces were black and formfitting, and were a perfect fit. She dropped a towel and the water container that Crais had given her that night off to the side of the mat that lay in the middle of a smaller cargo bay-turned-gym. The mat was black and white with a red triangle splashed in the middle; the Peacekeeper symbol, she recalled. What it was doing on Moya, she had no idea. But at least it served her purposes today. She had all intents to get her heartrate up and running with several types of exercises. She looked down at the water container and shrugged, grabbing it and taking a few drinks of it before closing it and tossing it back down. Around her wrist was an elastic band; she grabbed it and ran her fingers through her hair, wrapping the band around her hair at the back of her head. Much of her hair still poofed out, but she now had a black and red pony tail that stayed out of her face. Down her back and arms, her tattoos were very visible, save for the straps across her back from the shirt.

She moved to the center of the mat where leaned to one side, then the other, beginning a series of small stretches. She'd stretch out her arms, legs, neck, back, stomach muscles before moving through an intricate set of yoga moves, twisting her body into different forms. It took a lot of concentration and focus, which was part of her goal. To refocus her mind and learn to control some of the feelings she'd been experiencing. It was a way to re-center and re-balance herself. She could feel how the artificial gravity that Moya provided helped pull on her body every which way she moved. It stretched her body and opened her mind.

After about twenty minutes, she moved into a martial arts style, running through a series of punches, kicks, dodges, rolls and flips. She started off slow, running through rudimentary beginning practices, working her way up towards the more advanced stuff. Music played in her mind as she went through this, music that reminded her of scores to epic fight scenes or emotional and energizing scenes in a movie. A brief wave of sadness and homesickness hit her, but she pushed on, moving the thought out of her head. She was cleansing her mind and body at this point. She pulled a few kicks in the air, flipping as she did each one. Her feet and hands smacked against the mat, sometimes making zipping sounds as she would turn or slide. The moves required intense amounts of focus, balance and calmness. She kept the surrounding area at the edge of her consciousness, focusing on her immediate surroundings. She could feel the blood pumping through her veins, the sound rushing in her ears, hear lungs working to provide her body with the oxygen it needed.

Crais slipped in unnoticed, standing to the outside. He had asked Pilot where Talyn was, unable to help himself any longer. He felt as if he needed to at least see her again. He knew it was a result of the Soulbond, but he was determined to not ever take advantage of the Bond or use it as an excuse. He leaned against the wall, watching her go through her paces, finding himself admiring the ease and grace in which she went through each motion, each attack or defensive maneuver. She almost looked as if she were dancing with an invisible opponent. It was a style he had never seen before in his life. There were some similarities to the hand to hand combat that the Peacekeepers used, but it was largely different.

After another fifteen minutes, Talyn slowed her movements and eventually ended in an upright pose, her right fist to her left open palm across her chest. She bowed in no particular direction, considering there was no real direction out here. She dropped her hands and took a deep breath, slowing her heartrate a bit.

"Impressive." Crais said, walking towards her and grabbing her water container, opening it for her. Talyn opened her eyes, surprise flitting across her face.

"Crais...I didn't realize you were here." she said, her cheeks flushing as she took the offered water container. No wonder she felt a bit calmer the last bit of her routine.

"I snuck in. I hope you don't mind." He stated, his eyes managing to glimpse hers for just a microt before she glanced away. Despite the Soulbond, things still felt extremely awkward at times. Talyn took a few good drinks of water, one eye glancing at him, realizing he was in a pair of black sweatpants and a comfortable-looking black tanktop.

"Come to work out also?" she asked, lowering the container and pointing at his choice of clothing. Crais looked down, then chuckled and looked back up.

"Yes, actually. Though...I did change after I found out where you were." He admitted, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Talyn grinned.

"I get it. You _planned_ to come see me." She teased, poking him in the arm. She was shorter than him by a few inches, her skin tone about the same as his. Her hazel eyes were bright with energy after having just had a good workout. He chuckled a bit and looked down, that earlier smile widening.

"Perhaps." He looked back up, noticing she had a very relaxed posture, and that she seemed comfortable with his presence. Crais did his best to respect her and not stare too much at her. However the tattoos were becoming extremely intriguing. He reached out, pausing before touching her, and finally just pointed at them.  
"Your tattoos. How did you come about getting them?" He asked, trying to make offhanded conversation. Talyn looked down at the shoulder he pointed at and smiled.

"Got those about two months ago. Around sixty of your solar days, rather. It was painful," she said, turning around and lifting up her ponytail so he could see the extent of the tattoos on her back. Crais stared at them, finally able to see the close up. He took a step towards her, his eyes tracing each line of the tattoos.

"I call them leylines. On Earth, leylines are basically natural energy conduits. I had a dream about these specific ones. I felt like I wasn't going to be happy until I had them tattooed." she said, standing still as he looked at them. Black lines waving alongside and across each other, all accented by red. He knew what they were, and so did she. "I've only recently discovered where they are from."

"Your Leviathan incarnation." Crais said, earning a positive nod from Talyn as he reached out to touch one of the lines. His fingertips connected with her skin before he realized what he was doing, and pulled his hand back quickly. "I apologize..."

Talyn shook her head, pulling the hairtie out and allowing the strands on the left to fall down over her shoulder again.

"Its fine. I've had plenty of people curious about them. Go ahead." She said, giving him permission to touch. Crais looked at the back of her for a moment, hesitating, then reached back out, fingers touching her skin again. He gently traced along one of the major lines until it intersected with the fabric of her shirt, then found another line to trace. His touch was gentle and purposeful as his fingers curved over her shoulder and down her arm. He began to feel like he was in a haze of sorts, static electricity feeling like it was licking the tips of his fingers as he traced the lines of her tattoos.

Talyn closed her eyes, feeling the sensation of his fingers trailing those lines. It wasn't something she expected, and it took her breath away. Goosebumps rose across her back, shoulders and arms and she clenched her teeth, her mind reeling and her heart getting a second workout. A part of her wanted to run suddenly, but another, deeper part of her cried out to not leave. Stay she did, suddenly feeling his touch on both shoulders, still trailing the lines on her shoulders. She bit her lip, her eyes still closed. In her mind's eye, she saw gold sparks flying from the points on her mental body image where he touched her, as if he were welding. The lines on the mental image of her body were a brilliant gold, her energy flowing through her body. Considering how she felt, this was a pretty accurate representation. The sensation that arose from his touch was indescribable; gentle, electric, and...something else that she couldn't identify.

She felt him lean in towards her slowly, causing her heart to race faster. His fingers traced down her arms and back up slowly, back up to her shoulders. It was here that his touch changed. He rested both hands gently on her shoulders, sliding to the sides of her upper arms and back up. She felt his breath near her neck, and she swore she was gonna pass out.

He had no idea why he was letting himself get carried away. _Too soon_ , he thought, worried he would scare her away. But she hadn't run yet, she hadn't declined him...but at the same time...was it himself doing this, or was it the bond? His own heart was racing as he gently held her shoulders, leaning in towards her. He could smell her hair, and it made him dizzy. He paused briefly, his fingers rubbing gently across her shoulders and upper arms still. After a moment, he had leaned far enough in to rest his cheek against the side of her head. He could feel a sudden shift in her as she suddenly leaned back slightly, relaxing and yet not relaxing. No words were exchanged, but it was clear in every movement that if Talyn were uncomfortable, she could stop Crais at any time.

The touch of his cheek against her head made her weak in the knees and it felt like a knot had formed in her stomach. She couldn't tell if it was what she was honestly feeling, or if their bond had an impact in this. Either way, she found herself leaning back against him. She swallowed, nervousness coursing through her. Fight or flight was trying to kick in, and she just couldn't bring herself to allow either one to happen. Her heart pounding, she leaned her head back slightly. She felt her back press against his chest, making her realize just how much of a support and strength he was. He never moved, keeping her steady as she mentally collapsed under the most gentle touches she had ever felt.

His own heart was pounding, and he was certain she could feel it now that she had leaned back against him. He hesitated for a microt before gently sliding his hands down along her arms, slipping his hands under her arms and around her waist gently, pulling her closer to him. He heard her gasp softly, but could tell it wasn't a pained or scared gasp. He turned his face towards her, his lips touching the side of her head gently for a couple microts before returning to his original position of just holding her, his cheek against her head.

Talyn felt like she was going to become a puddle on the floor. She raised her arms, resting them over Crais's, tightening her grip a little more than she intended, silently giving a message of 'don't leave me' without meaning to. Her mind exploded when she felt him kiss the side of her head, causing her eyes to water. So much for the mind-clearing and focusing exercises she did earlier. She blinked a couple times to get the liquid out of her eyes, causing a single tear to slip down her cheek. She turned her head gently towards him, making him move his head to look down at her. Nervousness, uncertainty and unfamiliarity surrounded both of them, but another sense of not wanting to ever be separated hovered just under the surface of the tense emotions.

He leaned forward again, his lips connecting with the skin of her forehead, sending sparks flying through both. Talyn didn't know how she was going to handle this. She'd never allowed herself to be in this kind of position before. All she knew was the moment she felt his lips touch her forehead, she was gone. She tilted her head back slightly, her body turning a bit. She could feel his racing heartbeat through her back, making her realize he was as nervous and scared as she was.

He shifted the gentle kiss on her forehead to her cheek, feeling like he was being guided by an external force of some sort. He could feel her heartbeat beating in time with his, both of them racing. What he didn't expect was Talyn moving her head suddenly but gently, pausing as their lips hovered just fractions from each other. Both of them opened their eyes, staring at each other, their eyes flicking back and forth as each looked into both of the other's eyes. Both felt the barrier between them, and it would end with the barrier holding, or snapping in half.

It snapped as Talyn closed the distance, her eyes closing again. Her lips touched his like a feather brushing against skin in a gentle, but nervous invitation. It was sweet and slightly salty, his goatee brushing against her skin softly. She reeled from the initial wave of energy that zapped straight through her core and down through her feet, but she never moved away. For him, it felt like another level of their bond hand cracked, like a hole in a dam appearing. He leaned in more, one arm raising from her waist, his hand sliding against the side of her cheek and neck gently. His thumb brushed against her cheek as their kiss deepened gently, another small tear falling down her cheek as emotions overwhelmed her. Her hands tightened on his remaining arm around her waist. She felt his presence overtake her, become her, be with her. It was beyond anything she had ever experienced. Excitement and nervousness flowed through her entire body, making her feel defenseless against this man that she had been bonded to for now two lifetimes.

What felt like an eternity ended gently as Crais pulled back, releasing both of them from the gentle yet deeply connecting kiss. He opened his eyes to look at her, suddenly afraid he had taken things way too far. He watched as she opened her eyes, clear brown locking onto crystalline hazel eyes. Nervousness filled her eyes, and yet happiness and a new kind of calm shone just under the surface of that nervousness. He sighed softly and leaned his forehead against hers gently, closing his eyes. She smiled softly and closed her eyes, leaning back against him again comfortably.

"Crais..." she whispered softly, not letting go of his arms. She felt his thumb brushing against her cheek still, and it felt like an incredible comfort and a promise to protect.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have gone that far..." he whispered back, earning a light shaking of Talyn's head.

"No, it's alright. I'm fine. I promise." She said quietly, her eyes opening as she tilted her head back again, trying to look at him. He leaned back slightly, opening his eyes and looking into hers. He felt an overwhelming need to lean forward again, but he fought against it with all that he had. He still worried over the Soulbond, and he was afraid it was affecting his judgement.

"I won't let this bond be an excuse to do as I please," he said gently, turning his head to bury his face in her hair. Talyn leaned against him, her fingers caressing his arm that remained around her waist. "I took you too early before, even if it was an accident...at least this time, I can give you a choice." He added softly, kissing the side of her head with the softest of touches. The hand on her cheek slid down her arm and joined his other arm, pulling her close as he tightened his arms around her waist again.

"I know you won't, Bialar..." she replied to his first statement, her words soft but shaky. His words were a promise to both of them, and she could sense it. The promise he made had her realizing that he just said if she wanted, he was willing to suffer the rest of his life without her if she so chose to leave and live her own life. But deep down, all she could sense was him. All she could feel was him. All she wanted...was him. How could she possibly ignore a bond that had been forged between their very souls? A bond that, while it may have been an accident, made her wonder if perhaps some higher being had intended it to happen.

She sighed softly, staying leaned back against his chest, holding onto his arms, her fingers brushing lightly against his tanned skin. She could feel the powerful muscles in his forearms, and the idea that those very same muscles could provide such a gentle touch made her head spin. She closed her eyes, almost seeing a reddish glow behind her merging with the golden tones of her own aura. Briefly she wondered if her ability to visualize energy and auras was in part due to Stark and their temporary bond when she was a Leviathan, or through Zhaan's sacrifice to let her live again. Either way, it was an ability she enjoyed using from time to time.

He knew they wouldn't be able to stay this way forever. He dreaded the idea of having to let her go. This moment was just too perfect. It was far more than what he ever intended coming in here. He meant to work out, maybe even try some moves against her, see how she handled them. But all this...his mind swam with all the emotions that bombarded him. Even his Peacekeeper training, which was meant to force him to let go of forming friends and becoming close with someone, hadn't prepared him for the level of emotion that he felt here. It helped him, however, to keep control and not take advantage of the situation. Had she been anyone else...things would have gotten much farther, and been nothing but recreation. Talyn was different. Talyn...held his soul.

She could feel him mentally fighting with himself. She ran a hand up and down one of his arms, trying to be comforting. After a moment, she gently spun in his arms, forcing him to focus and redirect his thoughts a little. She stared at him, reaching up and touching his cheek gently.

"Calm down. You haven't done anything wrong." She said softly, her eyes dancing between his. She could see the worry and anxiety in his eyes. Her words seemed to calm him a little, but she could still see the wariness flitting about just inside his eyes. She lowered both of her hands to his chest, palms against the toned muscles that supported her so well. He sighed softly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

"I don't want to be the cause of more pain, Talyn. The Soulbond, once you found out what it meant, nearly killed you-"

She stopped him, raising a finger to his lips.

"No, that wasn't what nearly killed me. What nearly killed me was my depression and my inability to think clearly through the situation. I was still very young. Deep down I knew it was an accident, but the angry part of me refused to believe it." She took a shaky breath and continued. "I had thought that you did it on purpose, to keep me from ever finding a mate...to keep me under control. I began..." she looked down, not really wanting to admit this part, but she felt it was needed. "I began to hate you with everything I was. It's why I hurt you. Why I lashed out. I thought my chance at finding a soulmate and bonding with them was stolen from me forever." She said softly, her memories of that painful time floating to the surface where she could analyze them and think through them.

"A few nights ago, before you came up to the observation deck...I finally had seen what you felt of me. I had brought up memories of our last moments together and I felt you feel calm. I focused, fell through what felt like water...went deeper into your soul of that time until I found something that I didn't quite expect. Through everything that I put you through, you still cared. You still were willing to die for me." She said, her eyes watering. "Somehow you still managed to find some kind of love for me as a Leviathan. When I realized that, I was ashamed of what I had done. I had done nothing but hurt you out of my own anger...I felt in that moment unworthy of Zhaan's gift. A part of me...still does." She finished softly, still looking down, staring at her fingers as they brushed against his shirt gently.

Crais felt his heart breaking as she told her story, explained her feelings. He stared at her for just a few microts before gently taking her chin and lifting her head, staring into her eyes with a gentle purpose.

"Don't you _ever_ feel unworthy, Talyn. _Ever_. Zhaan's gift gave us both a second chance. I will honor that by giving you the choice you didn't have as a Leviathan." He said, reinstating what he had silently said before. Talyn felt a knot form in her throat, her eyes watering. She swallowed, unable to look away from him.

"Thankyou...just hearing you say that...means more to me than you will ever know." She bit her lip briefly, then smiled softly. "Though, I think my choice was still made for me," she started, watching the fear rise in his eyes again. She reached up and touched his cheek again. "I don't regret it this time, and I _certainly_...don't hate you." she finished, watching that same fear suddenly vanish. She leaned up slightly, a gentle invitation that Crais picked up on. He paused, watching her, making sure it was her choice still, then finally closed the gap, their lips touching again in a gentle caress, the kiss growing deeper and winding its way through their souls.

* * *

 

In Pilot's Den, Pilot had the most amusing grin on his face as Moya relayed in hurried images and emotions through their connection what she saw and heard through her internal sensors. It was, after all, a mother's job to spy, wasn't it? She felt a sense of relief and happiness knowing that the two of them would be alright. After everything they had been put through, they deserved a moment of peace.

 


End file.
